The Patriot
by girlsaremyfave
Summary: Alex is in the military, but with an accident that recently put her on medical leave she finds herself in a small town in Maine. Piper is a single mom that runs a flower shop. What happens when these two meet? Will their dark pasts stop them from being together or will it pull them closer?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

_Alex scrambled around for the last of what casings were left in her jacket pocket. She could feel the cool metal casings slipping between her fingertips as they shook. Rubble fell onto her helmet from above, dust getting swept into her face, and sounds of screams in her ears. Her gun is sitting next to her, waiting for the right moment to be used in saving an innocent's life. _

_Alex heard explosions getting closer, making her pull her gun to her chest, ready for what might happen. She peeked her head around the corner to observe what was happening on the other side, when seeing it was clear she motioned for the citizens to move along, finding safety on the other side of the road. _

_Alex stands up, crouching down as she follows the group of people with her gun at the ready. As she reaches the other side of the road by the building with the rest of the people, a cry comes from where they had just been. Standing there was a little girl, maybe seven or eight with tears staining her face. Alex looked both ways from her crouching position behind the building, motioning her over after seeing it was clear. _

_The girl was halfway across when Alex first heard the ticking, trying to react as fast as she could before-_

Waking up with sweat dripping from her forehead, Alex gasps for air with her hands at her throat. She hadn't been sleeping well since the accident happened, keeping her awake most nights until she just passed out.

Alex was flown in after being medically announced as stable back to the United States, taking care of her in a hospital on base. Everything smelled of that medical bleach they used to clean the rooms, making her eyes sting everytime she blinked. A tube went from her arm and into the IV that was connected to her as if an extra limb for the last week.

Alex was about to doze off again, but instead came a light knock on the hospital room door, waking her up again.

"Hello, Captain Vause. My name is Doctor Cooper and I have been taking care of you the last few days while you have been out." At that Alex lets her confusion show in her face, wondering what has been going on. "Since coming back to the States you have been in a medically induced coma until your injuries have had a little bit of time to heal. You weren't getting enough rest to let the body go through the natural course of healing, so we stepped in and helped that process go smoother." His voice was deep, but no sympathy crossed it, like he had been saying this type of thing every day of his life.

"When can I get out of here?" Alex was barely able to get out with hoe rough her throat felt. He handed her a glass of water with a straw as he looked down at her to answer.

"Well, you took some pretty big shrapnel pieces into your body, but the wounds look good. I say we get you up and moving with some physical therapy, get your legs back, and you should be able to get back out there soon." At this he smiles and puts her chart back on the end of her bed before leaving the room.

Alex had been sleeping on and off all day, waking up from the sounds of explosions and falling asleep when her eyes couldn't stay open any longer. A light knock eventually came from the door again, but instead of the wide-set doctor, her Colonel came through the curtain.

"Sir-" Alex tries to get up from the bed but is restricted by the pain in her side.

"No need, Captain." Colonel Hopp set his hat on the table in the corner before pulling a chair next the the side of her hospital bed. He took the chart off of the end and flipped through it, looking at her sternly. "That was a pretty big explosion you made it through there Vause. How are you feeling?" His greenish-blue eyes looked into hers, but without the sternness that was in them the rest of the times they have talked.

"Sore, but ready to get back on the team." She smiled up at him weakly knowing she was not getting out of bed soon enough to her liking.

"About that Captain," He leans back in his chair, his fingers playing with one another. "You have always been a fighter, but right now the military needs you to be a 'rester'."

"What do you mean, Sir?" She sits up a little straighter at this, looking for the answer in his eyes.

"What I mean is, we are putting you on medical leave. You are injured and you saw half of your team get blown up, you need a break."

Alex felt her heart sink at this, she wanted to go back to working. She figured she would have to sit for a couple weeks, do physical therapy, but not medical leave.

"You will still get paid during your medical leave, but we don't want you to be on base. I have decided that you need to leave and get fresh air from here. You have been through three tours with no break, you need this." With that he stood up, grabbed his hat and left the room, with no more words said.

Alex laid her head back against the pillow, looking up at the ceiling with one thought going on in her head.

_What now?_


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I am trying something way out here on this one, but I like it so far. The chapters should be longer now that I have an idea of what I am doing for this story.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 2: Getting Out**

Alex was soon released a few days later, but quickly escorted to her apartment that was on base to collect her things. Luckily, Alex came from a past that left her with very few things that allowed her to get packed up quickly. She wanted to rent a car, if she was allowed to get out, she was getting the hell out of there.

Being dropped off at the rental car place, she grabbed her big military-issue duffle bag and headed inside. All the cars seemed so domestic to her now, she was used to the big Hummers they had to drive from place to place when on tour.

"How can I help you?" A sweet, but soundly male voice came from behind a desk to the left of her.

"I just need a car. I will need it for a while, so is there any long term thing I can set up?" Alex felt herself getting anxious, just wanting to get out of here.

"Well, we do work with the military base for longer term contracts." He points to the bag she had slung over her shoulder with VAUSE stitched in big grey letters. "Here, let me show you." He motioned her to a desk and began giving her option after option. Alex felt her head begin to spin at all the choices, just choosing one she digs through her bag to get her wallet.

Before she knows it, she is sitting in a black Chevrolet Silverado with the windows down, letting the wind whip her hair around. Without even thinking about it, she knew where she was going.

As a kid Alex only went on one trip with her mom, which was to a small town in Maine. It was after Alex had found out who her dad really was, a good-for-nothing that was never going to come back. Diane, Alex's mom, just started driving one day with Alex and they ended up there. It was the perfect trip, they went fishing, had picnics and anything else could afford with the little money they had. That was where she was going now.

Pulling in past the town sign just after two in the morning, Alex pulled into a motel for the night. It was a long building that was only a single floor with many doors showing the different rooms. It reminded her of the b motel that her and her mom stayed at, rooms with just a small bed, a bathroom with a shower that was too short for even a short woman like her mom, and a television that only got a few channels that were all staticy.

Sitting on the bed with her head in her hands, she finally lets herself think of her mom for the first time in a while. She missed her mom, her smile, her laugh, and the way she took care and protected Alex in her weird ways. Alex had been on tour when her mom had passed away, half a world away from the one thing that had grounded her for her whole life. When she got back her mom was already six feet in the ground with a headstone that had to have been the ugliest choice.

She leans back until she is laying on the bed, letting the exhaustion wash over her after driving for several hours. Without her permission her eyes close finally letting sleep take her body over.

The sun was beating in through the window as Alex talked to the lady behind the desk, wondering where this brunette woman had come from as if overnight.

"We have a few apartments that are for rent in this town, but you can get the same price for a small house here." The lady had light brown hair, a rich accent that Alex couldn't tell where it was from, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the woman's bright red lipstick.

"I just need a space to call my own while I am here." She forces a smile on her face, trying to seem as nice as possible.

"Alright, I think I have just the place for you." The lady turns around and digs through her files in her desk, looking for a specific piece of paper. "Here, it's a one-story house, more like a shack, that is close to the water but will need lots of love." Alex picks up the picture of the house, that really was more like a shack. It had a door and four walls, but that was about it.

"It's perfect,..." Alex had forgotten the name of the young woman that had been helping her."

"Call me Lorna, Lorna Morello." Shaking her hand, Alex knew this was going to be a good choice for her.

Alex didn't need to look at the house itself before knowing that she was going to need some wood planks and paint. She walked down to the town center, looking in at all the shops trying to find what she was looking for. Finally, she came across a small storefront that showed what could look like a hardware store.

A tiny bell went off above her head as she walked through the door, making her look around.

"Good mor-" The woman with crazy brownish hair starts to say "you're new." The woman gives Alex a big grin, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

"How can you tell I'm new to town?"

"I know every person in town, even the people who only come into town once a year and you're not one of them." With that being said the woman begins to unpack a box that was sitting on the counter beside her. "Let me know if I can help you find something."

Alex whispers a quick thanks over her shoulder before walking down an aisle where there is different types of wood she can purchase. Small samples are put on the shelves down the aisles for people to look at, but all the real wood is in the back behind the store. She looks at the different options of sizes she can buy the planks in, when she hears the bell above the store door go off again.

"Nicky!" A little voice is heard loudly across the aisles as the sound of the door is closing.

"Hey squirt!" Alex could hear the older woman saying to what sounded like a child. "Where is your mommy today?"

"She's down at Red's." When Alex turns the corner to the paint aisle she sees the little girl looking up at Nicky with a smile. The little girl sees Alex out of the corner of her eye and suddenly her face is covered in confusion.

"Hi!" The little girl waves at Alex before walking over to her to continue talking. "My name is Taylor." The little girl had blonde hair that was in a complete mess, her eyes a deep blue that only the ocean could hold. Her hand was outstretched waiting for Alex to shake it.

"My name is Alex." Taylor continued to look at Alex as she looked at the different colored paints, but eventually ran back to Nicky.

Alex finally chose what wood planks she needed and the paint color she wanted before going up to the counter to check out. The little girl was sitting on the back counter swinging her legs as Nicky was checking Alex out.

"Alex what are you doing here?" the little girl's voice stunned Alex, but the question is the one that shocked her.

"Well, I am buying stuff to build a house." Alex gives over her credit card to Nicky as she is talking to the little girl. "I wanted to move somewhere new, so here I am."

"My momma says people only come here when the big world isn't for them." Taylor looks at Alex with a look of curiosity.

"How old are you?"

"I'm six, but my mom always tells people I am older than what I look." At this she hops off the counter and turns to Nicky "Can you call my mom and tell her I am going to build a house with Alex?" At these words Alex is thrown for a loop because she only met this girl ten minutes ago and she is six. It would be a different story if she was older and knew how bad it would look for Alex to just walk off with a younger girl.

Alex turned to Nicky looking for help but instead all she got was "I will make sure to let your mom know, sweetheart." Nicky winked at Alex before watching the two girls walk out of the store together.

Alex was measuring out the wood planks on the tailgate of her truck as Taylor was painting the scrap pieces that Alex didn't need for the side of the shack-house. The little girl had drawn smiley faces and puppies and sailboats all over the different pieces of wood scraps.

"This house looks like a fort." Taylor said sternly looking at the tiny house. "Like a place you can play all day." Her smile was bright as she went over to help Alex carry the plank. None of the projects she needed help with, but the little girl got happier every time she knew she was helping Alex.

"I guess it is like a fort." Alex let Taylor try to hammer in a couple of the nails but when it got too hard for her, Alex took over once again. Alex had torn most of the boards off the front of the house, replacing them with the new boards, even the ones that Taylor had painted on.

The little house was surrounded by sand near the ocean with a broken fence that once was white around the perimeter. It had character to it she thought, especially now with different paintings on it. Very few words were shared that day, but the bond between the two girls grew as every nail was hit or every board was cut.

Eventually, the sun was starting to get lower as Alex started picking up some of the tools she had bought. "Hey kid, I think it's time to call it a day." Taylor nodded her head but didn't get up from sitting on the steps that lead into the house.

"My mom is helping at Red's." She stated this as if it was a complete explanation as to what that means. "Do you want to go eat there?"

"Shouldn't you be getting home? Won't your dad be looking for you or something?"

"I don't have a dad." She said this with almost no emotion, like it was the most plain thing you can hear in the world. "C'mon."

Alex walks into this tiny diner off the side of the center of town, sailors from fishing boats laughing at their stories, women toasting one another on their accomplishments, just another night in this small town it felt like. The little girl had led Alex to the counter where they could sit down and wait for somebody to take their order.

"Hey, sweetie!" This woman with fiery red hair that was all over the place came up to Taylor, smiling as big as could be at the little girl. "What can I get the two hard working ladies?" The older woman winked at Alex as she said this, somehow knowing they had been building all day.

"Red lemonade!" the little girl said excited, almost bouncing out of her chair. "And tell momma I'm here!" The older woman smiled at the little girl before heading back into the kitchen to get her something to drink.

When the kitchen door opened again Alex looked up and felther world stop. There stood the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. Blonde hair that was tied up in a messy bun with light blue eyes that showed her smile in them. The woman approached her and Taylor before speaking.

"Taylor where have you been?" the woman says, trying to sound upset but couldn't seem to hold back a smile. "I'm sorry if she bothered you all day, she can be a handful." The blonde smiled right at Alex when she said this, making Alex feel weightless in her chair.

"It-It was no problem, really." Alex wanted to hit herself for sounding so stupid. "She really did help me."

The blonde smiled down at the little girl before turning to Alex once again, but this time sticking her hand out. "My name is Piper, Piper Chapman."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **

Piper woke up with little hands on her face and blue eyes looking into her own very closely. "Mommy are you wake?" The little voice spoke softly but she knew she couldn't pretend to be asleep because her daughter would only push more.

"Morning, baby." She wraps her arms around her daughter quickly before laying them both down on the bed. "What do you feel like doing today?" Piper wanted to spend the day with Taylor after being so busy helping Red last night.

"I want to build the fort." Her face was lit up bright as she sat up on the bed looking at her mom once again. "The one with Alex!" The confusion cleared for Piper as she realized what her daughter wanted.

"Honey, Alex probably has stuff to get done today. Why don't you hang with Nicky?" Piper says this as she lifts her daughter off the bed and directing her to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Nicky isn't building a fort." Taylor hops up into the chair at the small table that takes up their whole dining room area.

"I bet she will take you for ice cream." At that the little girl had her mind made up of what she was doing today.

Piper did the same thing every day at her shop. She unlocked the door, watered the plants, took orders, filled orders and before she knew it the day was over. When she opened her flower shop she was single in her early 20's, no ideas of what she wanted to do with her life, but something to do in her spare time.

About a couple weeks after opening her shop she met Larry. He was a shorter man with brown hair that was as relaxed as could be. The day they met he came in looking for flowers for his mom's birthday, trying to hurry after forgetting what day it was. Piper took his order and filled it while he sat in the shop and talked with her.

Larry was funny and kind, well at the beginning he was. He was a writer and when he didn't find any work he became stressed. For nights or days straight he would disappear and not come back, but that didn't worry Piper, at least not in the beginning.

One day he came home from being gone for a weekend when Piper told him the good news. They were expecting a baby, but Larry didn't take it the way Piper thought he would. He wanted her to get rid of it, saying he wasn't ready for that commitment quite yet. Larry left that night when Piper was asleep, not coming back for months until Taylor was weeks from being born. He came back with the expectation that she wouldn't be pregnant anymore, so when he found out all hell broke loose. That night Piper was the one that left.

Piper was deep in thought when she heard the bell above the door go off making her look up from the computer she was working on. Nicky walked into the shop with a confused look on her face.

"I thought you said Taylor was coming by for me and Lorna to take her?"

"I sent her over a couple hours ago…" Piper felt panic strike her heart right away. The town was so small kids even younger than Taylor walked the streets and hung out, so she never worried about anything happening until right now.

"Well she wasn't at the shop and she wasn't at any of our houses." Nicky started walking back towards the door quickly. "I'm going to go look for her in the town center, hopefully she is there somewhere."

As Nicky left through the door, Piper packed up her stuff quickly before closing up shop to go look for her daughter.

Piper had been walking the town center for half an hour asking all the people she knew if they had seen Taylor, which none of them had. After about an hour she finally hit the end of the main street where Red's Diner was. When she turned the corner she was stunned for a moment.

There was her little girl sitting on the tailgate of a truck with a lemonade in her hand, watching Alex build a fence for Red. Taylor seemed so interested in what Alex was doing, watching her every movement like it was magic. Without saying anything to either of them, Piper went into the diner and sat at the front counter.

"Your little one has sure taken to Alex." Red says as she sets a muffin down in front of Piper on the counter, looking out the front windows where you could see the two girls working. "I asked Alex to help fix up some fences for my own garden and she came back with your little girl in tow." Red let a little smile cross her face as she said this.

"I don't know what has gotten into her." Piper looks outside at the two girls and is intrigued by what she sees. Alex is wearing tight light blue ripped jeans with an old white t-shirt that the arms were cut off. Piper let her eyes wonder a little longer and noticed she could see Alex's sports bra where the holes of where the arms used to be and could see the strong muscles in her arms as she worked.

She had let her mind wander off as she watched Alex cutting wood and nailing it all together. "I think your little one sees good in her." Red says softly as she wipes at the counter with a towel. "She has good eyes, Piper."

"I hope for Taylor's sake she does." Finishing her muffin, Piper heads out to where the two girls are working in a rhythm.

"Taylor? Where have you been?" Piper tries to give off a stern voice, but her heart melts at the scene in front of her. Taylor is 'helping' to carry the wood from the back of the truck to a pile near the fence, when in reality Alex is carrying all the weight.

"I am helping Alex build a garden." The little girl smiles up at her mom with no idea that she had done anything wrong.

"Baby, you have to tell me where you are going. I was worried." With that Piper sat on the bed of the truck watching as Alex handed a bucket and brush to Taylor. Taylor dipped the brush into the bucket of paint, wasting a lot of it by letting it drip on the ground, then putting it against the new wood. Alex came and sat on the tailgate with Piper as they both watched the little girl.

"I'm sorry, I should have left her at the store." Alex says in a soft, low voice that Piper almost couldn't hear. "I was at the hardware store picking some things up and she asked if she could come along. I figured she knew Red that it was okay, but I never thought to tell you somehow." Alex lets out a soft chuckle when she looks up to Piper sitting next to her.

Piper was stunned being so close to Alex, seeing her for the first time. She had a small scar under the left eye that she could barely see under her black glasses. Her green eyes were soft and dark, like they held a lot of stress from the world. But Piper could see the goodness in them like Red said, a pure goodness in them.

"It's okay, really. Thank you for letting her tag along." Piper felt herself feel a spurt of happiness cross her mind at the thought of Alex and her daughter together again. "I am sure you are probably tired of her by now though." Piper said this as she was getting up and calling for Taylor to come with her to go home.

"No, it was actually nice having somebody to work with." Alex let a smile play across her features as she stood up to be at the same level with Piper.

"Mommy, can Alex come to dinner?" The little girl looked up at Piper with big blue eyes and white paint all over her forehead and cheeks.

"I don't know, you have been on her hands all day."

"I wouldn't mind-" Alex begins to say before stopping herself. "I mean if you'll have me." Piper felt her heart flutter once more at the thought of seeing Alex again later in the day.

"Yeah, how about six?"

"Perfect."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I am super excited that you guys like this story! Sorry for waiting to post another chapter, finals and getting ready for graduation. I should have another chapter up tomorrow now.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 4:**

Alex hadn't felt this nervous in a long time, the kind of nervous where the thought of eating makes you want to throw up. Most of her clothes were for when she was on base, pretty much giving her the option between white or black t-shirts with her name on them and different colored pants or jeans. She tried to make everything she had look different, but it didn't seem to matter because it all looked the same.

Adjusting her glasses, Alex stands in front of the duffle bag on the floor just wearing boy shorts and a bra. _Why was it so important what she looked like? _Finally, she decides on a pair of tight black jeans with rips at the thigh and knees with a white t-shirt that had VAUSE stitched into the sleeve. There wasn't much choice for the shirts because she had been wearing them all week while working on the house, leaving them sweaty and gross. Alex knew she had to get going but her nerves keep rising up farther into her throat the more she thinks about going over there.

The drive over felt like it took only mere seconds yet a whole hour at the same time. She pulled up in front of a little white house with flowers all around the yard in various places. There was a swing set with a simple slide that had different flowers around it, the porch off to the side had flowers across the railing. Walking up slowly to the front door, up a couple of steps her palms began to get sweaty and right as she was about to turn around the door opened.

"Alex!" the little girl looked up at her with the biggest smile on her face. "I was playing while mom made dinner, c'mon." Her little hand grabbed Alex's, pulling her inside to a living room type area where there were Legos all over the floor.

Piper heard the little girl bring Alex into the living room, making her way over to say hello, but was stopped in her tracks quickly. There Alex lays on the floor with her daughter playing with those stupid building blocks she is always stepping on.

"Hey…" Piper felt her voice give out and she smacked herself for acting this way around this woman.

"Hey, you." Alex gives a mini-wave before Taylor taps at her arm to get her attention once again.

"Alex! I am this car, you are that one." The little girl stated matter of factly looking Alex right in the eyes as she did so.

"Sweetie, Alex is our guest. Be nice." Piper couldn't help but smile at her daughter as she frowned slightly. "Alex, dinner should be ready in a few minutes." And with that Piper walked back into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

Piper let her thoughts travel back to the woman in the living room. Alex had looked amazing in just some black jeans and her t-shirt, but it was the way her hair played off her shoulders that caught Piper's eye. It was kind of wavy, like she had just showered and drove with the window down on her way over here.

Piper hears a small knock while she was deep in thought, scaring her back into reality.

"Hey, do you need any help? Taylor went to wash her hands and put away her Legos." Piper let her mouth drop slightly at Alex saying this.

"She never cleans up her stuff. That is very impressive." Piper turns back to the stove to finish sauteing the steak and onions in the pan. "The dishes are up in this cabinet if you want to set the table." She pointed by her right shoulder as she said this, showing Alex where to go.

Soon, Piper felt a warmth over her shoulder close to her ear and when she glanced over Alex was right there, reaching for the dishes in the cabinet. Alex let her left hand lightly touch Piper's hip as she did this, as if for balancing. When she had successfully grabbed a few plates she stepped back slowly from Piper, as if having to catch her breath for the first time all night.

Piper felt herself shudder at the new cold feeling of Alex being away from her. She didn't want to admit that the feeling of Alex being so close had felt so good. She could hear Alex setting the plates down on the small kitchen table with silverware.

"Mommmmmm!" The little girl was whining down the whole hallway as she entered the kitchen with the two women. "I'm hungry." Taylor sat at the table and began playing with her fork while waiting for dinner to finish. Alex looked over to Piper as she had been taking the pan off the stove and dumping the contents into a serving bowl.

"Perfect timing, baby!" Piper set the bowl on the table before pulling it away slightly. "Hey, Alex first!"

"It's okay, Piper." Alex takes the bowl from Piper and hands it to Taylor with a smile on her face.

Dinner went by smoothly with many laughs and stories from the little girl and Piper. Alex hadn't laughed like that in a really long time.

Currently, Alex and Piper were doing dishes together while Taylor got ready for bed. Alex felt a sense of calm take her over when she stood next to Piper, something she hasn't felt since before she joined the military. After finishing drying the dishes, Alex sat down at the kitchen table with the glass of wine she was still nursing from dinner.

"What is that you do, Alex?" Piper said as she was putting the dishes away in their right spots.

"I'm in the military." Alex plays with the stem of her wine glass. "I am off tour for a little bit and I wanted to get away for a little bit."

"Why?" Piper looks at Alex intently before they were interrupted.

"Alex!" Taylor came over to Alex, climbing on her, accidentally spilling the wine on Alex. "I'm sorry!" Taylor yelled as if Alex was going to be really angry.

"Hey, it's okay." Alex hugged Taylor to her close, trying to make it so the little girl wasn't scared anymore. "It's just a shirt, girly."

"You're not mad?" Taylor looks shyly up at the brunette, as if it was all a joke and that she was really angry.

"Of course not!" Alex picked her up and set her down on her feet before standing up herself. "Can I borrow a shirt?" She turned to Piper when she said this, smiling slightly.

"Uh- Yeah." Piper was taken aback by the whole exchange, realizing this is the first person in Taylor's life to not get upset at her, to care for her just as she did.

Alex had gotten Taylor to set up a movie in the living room while she followed Piper back to her room to get a shirt. "This one may be a little big, but I think it will work." PIper hands Alex a shirt before she realizes what Alex is doing.

Alex had taken her shirt off right in front of her, making Piper stare slightly. At first, Piper was distracted by how fit Alex was but soon her eyes got caught up on all the scars and the fresh stitches that were all over her torso. Alex realizes what she was doing and that Piper was staring.

"I'm sorry. I am just used to changing in front of the others on my team. Tight quarters, you know." A slight blush covers Alex's face as she quickly pulled on the fresh t-shirt, covering her body back up.

"Alex, what happened?" Piper feels her face changing instantly to worry for the woman in front of her. Alex felt herself tense a little, never used to telling anybody anything.

"It just happened on tours." She crossed her arms slightly over her chest, uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Instantly Piper could see the pain behind Alex's eyes, like a deep dark secret was held there.

"Don't be sorry for that, you can't control it." Piper reaches for Alex but at that moment Taylor came in and pulled Alex into the living room.

"I chose my favorite movie." Taylor pushed Alex so she sat down on the couch, sitting right next to her with her blankie in her lap.

Back in the bedroom Piper was trying to collect herself from what she was feeling. Those scars were startling to her, the gruesome way they cut across her skin, deep and some were shallow. Seeing the fresh stitches were the worst because they were beat red around the sides, dried blood was still sticking to the actual thread, and the worst was there were about four of them, all long and in a slicing manner.

"Mom!" Her little girl yelled from the living room. Piper finally wiped at her face with both hands before walking out to the living room with her daughter. When she walks in she sees Taylor leaning against Alex with her blankie covering her. Alex has her arm around the back of the couch with her head tilting back slightly, as if trying to stay awake. Piper sat down on the other end of the couch looking at her daughter who is barely awake as she leans more into Alex.

Alex lifts her head to look over at Piper who is smiling shyly before mouthing a 'thank you' to her. She felt her heart warm slightly at the sight of Piper sitting on the other end of the couch with her head leaning on the back of the couch.

After the three girls falling asleep on the couch watching the movie, Alex gets up, carrying Taylor to her bed. She placed the little girl in the bed, pulling the covers over her before whispering a 'goodnight' to her before leaving the room.

"Thanks for tonight, it was really fun." Alex smiles at Piper as she steps outside the front door, turning around to face Piper.

"Thank you for coming over tonight, it meant a lot to her." Piper says, looking down at her feet.

"Just her?" Alex smirks at the blonde in front of her. Piper feels a shade of pink cross her face and the words get stuck in her throat that she wants to say. "I'll see you around, Chapman." And with that Alex took off into the night back to the house she and Taylor have been working on that week.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

"Well, Captain Vause everything is looking good." The doctor said as she pulled her shirt back on. "The stitches need to be in for another couple of weeks to make sure that everything is healing together nicely."

"When can I start training again, sir?" Alex has been struggling not being able to do her runs in the morning and at night, or any of the muscle building exercises she was used to.

"Well, you can of course go for walks now, but wait to do anything serious until I take those stitches out." Dr. Reece sets down his clipboard seeing at how distraught Alex is at the whole situation. "Alex, have you been sleeping at all?" The sincerity in his voice is almost to much for her to handle.

"No, sir. But I am used to not sleeping, always being aware of what is going on."

"Alex, I want you to try something for me." Dr. Reece pulls out a prescription pad writing as he speaks. "I want you in the next couple of weeks to make a connection with somebody. I have read your chart and you have been in duty for a long time now, not staying in one place too long. Make a friend or something. Just make a connection." With that he hands her a note that reads _Make a personal connection_.

"Thanks Doc." With that, Alex heads out of the local clinic that was in town.

Alex was a person to never get super close to anybody, but her mom. Her mom was the one person she could always trust, no matter what. So when she died everything in her life changed and made her angry at the world for doing such a horrible thing to her. As soon as she graduated high school, barely, she enlisted and never looked back. She never had a lasting girlfriend, no siblings, or just anybody she was close to.

Driving back into town, she sees some familiar faces that she has come to know. She sees Nicky from the store walking to Red's and decides to pull in to the diner parking lot.

"Hey, Nicky." Alex says as she sits down at the booth with her.

"What's up, Vause? Heard you are getting sweet with the single mom of the town." Nicky laughs as she drinks from her glass.

"That was literally last night. And I am not _getting sweet _with her." Alex feels herself playing with the note the doctor gave her in her pocket.

"It is a small town." She laughs quietly before ordering her food. "Plus, we look out for our kind here. Piper has been through a lot, Vause." Alex let her mind spin on that for a little bit. She did recognize there was no sign of a man in her life, no pictures or even a masculine presence in her home by any means.

"What do you mean?" Alex didn't want to get involved but the words had slipped out of her mouth without any control to them.

"Let's just say that she ran away from a past that could have ended badly." Nicky picked at the straw in her glass as she continued talking. "Her daughter is the most important thing in her life. I love that kid for fuck's sake. But that kid doesn't take to just anybody, Vause. And that is how you know if Piper will trust you." Nicky's food was soon brought out to the table, ending the discussion they were having.

Alex let her mind wander at the thought of what could've been so horrible in Piper's past that she had to run away from it. Weirdly, Alex began to feel a heat rise on her neck as if she was angry all of a sudden, as if wanting to protect Piper and her little girl.

"Where can I find Piper today?" Alex laid some money on the table to pay for the single drink she had while talking with Nicky.

"She took the day off to be with Taylor, so probably the lake."

"Alex!" Taylor ran up to her in a wet and cold swimming suit, just fresh out of the lake where Piper was still swimming in.

"Hey, Kiddo." Alex felt her nerves relax at the sight of the little girl hugging her around her legs where she could reach.

"Come swimming." Taylor begins to pull Alex towards the water but Alex soon realizes she can't because of the stitches.

"I'm sorry, Kiddo. I can't, I am not feeling great today." Alex sat on the dock as Taylor ran back into the water to play with Piper. She put her feet in the water as she watched the two girls play in the water together, splashing and swimming around.

Piper swam up to the dock where Alex was sitting, hoisting herself up onto the dock to sit next to her. Alex felt her breath get stuck in her throat when she finally got a real look at Piper in her swimming suit. It was a simple black bikini, but it was the way that Piper had her hair up in a messy ponytail and the water making her skin look like it was glowing.

"What're you doing here?" Piper smiled in her direction quickly before returning her gaze to her daughter in the water, making sure she was being safe.

"I don't really know. I was told you guys would be at the lake and I just figured why not come see you both." This earned a smile from Piper once again as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "She wanted me to go swim, but I couldn't because of my stitches."

"I don't think she minds one bit. Honestly, I think she is just glad to have you here." Piper splashes Alex with a little water from a flick of her foot.

Alex felt an awkward silence fall between them, like there are so many things that want to be said but neither of them wanting to go first. Piper eventually got off of the dock and walked back to where their stuff was sitting on the beach under a tree. She waved for Taylor to come in and get dried off. Taylor came up, dripping wet and hugged Alex from behind as she was sitting on the dock. "Come get snacks, Alex."

Alex got up, making sure the little girl was still hanging onto her back and carrying her over to where her mom was. When she set the little girl down, Taylor went straight into the beach bag pulling out Twizzlers. She sat down on the blanket patting the space beside her for Alex to sit down.

Piper watched the whole exchange with curious eyes, wondering what could possibly be going through Alex's head. She didn't want to admit to herself that she had found herself thinking of Alex all the time now, but she had been. This woman who had come into the town less than a week ago had already impacted her life more than she was ready to admit.

Piper found herself worrying last night over the fact that Alex didn't want that life with Piper. She had a daughter and a business in a small town, a whole life that worked without Alex in it, but know she wanted Alex in it. She couldn't be sure if Alex wanted to be in her life, her messy and complicated life that arises once in a while from her past.

"What are you guys doing tonight?" Alex's voice brought Piper out of her line of thinking.

"Well, Nicky and Lorna wanted to take Taylor into the city for a movie." Piper looked at her watch, not wanting time to get away from them. "But I was just going to maybe eat at Red's tonight, if you want to go?"

Alex felt her heart flutter a little at the invitation, but the nerves from the night before caused her breath to catch. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She smiled at the two girls before standing up. "I have some things to do before tonight, but I will meet you there at… 7?"

"Sounds good."

Piper caught herself looking at the clock way too many times in the last two hours, but now she thought the time couldn't go any slower. She had already showered, shaved, and gotten dressed and was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Nicky and Lorna to pick up Taylor.

Before long there was a knock on the door. "Oh my god, it took you long enough." Piper sung open the door to see Lorna and Nicky standing there with smiles on their faces.

"It's not my fault somebody couldn't get their makeup done on time." Nicky rolled her eyes before entering the house. "Now, where is my favorite person?" As she said this she felt a force push at her legs and looked down to see a mass of blonde hair in a tight ponytail.

"Nicky!" The little girl yelled up to the woman with messy red-ish hair. Nicky lifted the little girl into her arms as she started to walk towards the door.

"Okay, please be safe and have her home at a decent time. If not tonight then not too late tomorrow, please?" Piper began listing these things to Lorna as she checked through Taylor's backpack one last time.

"Piper, we have had her many times before. Trust me, I will make sure they don't get into too much trouble." Lorna grabbed the bag before hugging Piper tightly and whispering in her ear, "And please have fun tonight." With that Lorna winked at Piper and got into the car with the other two girls.

Piper found herself sitting in a booth at Red's about 30 minutes too early, but she couldn't sit around her house waiting anymore. When Alex walked in Piper felt her heart stop as she saw the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. Alex was wearing dark blue jean shorts where the front pockets came below the bottom hem, a black v-neck shirt that fit her well, and her hair was loose but swept over her one shoulder. In her hand was a bundle of flowers, making Piper smile knowing she had to go a town over because Piper had her shop closed.

"Hey." Alex smiled shyly at her handing her the flowers lightly.

"Hi." Piper laughed at how nervous Alex looks for the first time since knowing her. "I got these for you…" Alex handed the flowers to Piper shyly before sitting down on the other side of the booth.

"You should have seen Taylor's face when I told her I was hanging out with you tonight, I thought she was going to cry right there." Piper laughed with her face tucked behind a menu, even though she orders the same three things every time she comes here.

"Where is the little one?" Red asks as she sets down their glasses on the table.

"She is with Nicky and Lorna in the city." Piper hands her the menu, not even having to order because Red will bring her something she likes.

"I will bring you both something good." Red grabs the menu out of Alex's hands before she gets a chance to look at it.

There was what felt like an hour of silence before either of the women at the table tried to say anything. "So, Alex, what do you do?" Piper played with the straw in her drink as she looks to Alex.

"Well, I am in the military." She takes a drink from her glass.

"Why?" This caught Alex off guard because nobody asks why or what lead up to it, they just avoid the topic or ask her stories of her tours.

"It's kind of a long story of how I got there."

"We have a long night." Piper smiles in her direction, as if letting her know she isn't going to leave anytime soon.

"When I was young my mom left my dad because he wasn't a good guy. So when I was growing up my mom had a lot of jobs to pay the bills and make it so we could have a decent life. She wanted me to be a good person, so when I told her I was joining the military she was beyond the moon." Alex felt herself smile a little as she was talking. "I guess I wanted to protect people like how she protected me when I was little." The moment felt tense to Alex, but all Piper could feel was admiration of the woman sitting right in front of her. "How about you?"

"I was in a relationship for a while and we got pregnant. He didn't want me to have the baby, but I did, which is my choice. So he left and when he came back after a few months he was really upset and that night after some things happened, I left." Piper felt herself looking down at her glass again. "I ended up here in this small town and I just decided to never leave."

Red soon brought the food out to the table, looking at the girls curiously before setting the plates down. They shared laughs and jokes after that serious conversation and let it stay that way for a while. Towards the end of the dinner, Piper turned to Alex as she tried to pay the bill before stopping her. "Hey, I can afford my own meal." It came out harsher than what she meant.

"I know! I was the one who asked you out so I should pay." Alex quickly grabbed the receipt from the table before Piper could get her hands on it and brought it up to Red at the counter.

Piper could see the brunette talking to Red, making her smile and laugh a little, which it is hard to make Red act that way sometimes. The way Alex stands like she is always hyperaware, makes Alex think about what goes on in that beautiful mind of hers. While waiting for Red to finish at the till, Alex pulls her hair up into a ponytail and for some reason that makes Piper's heart race.

Shaking her head, Piper stands up and goes up to Alex standing at the counter. "Hey, so I walked here, so I think I am going to head out before it gets too dark." Piper could see different emotions cross Alex's face as she said this, as if disappointed and protective at the same time.

"Let me walk you home." Alex grabs the change from Red wishing her a goodnight.

"Only if you want to."

"Lead the way." That smile of Alex's was going to drive Piper crazy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have updated. I graduated last week and had my graduation party over the weekend and with family and everything I haven't had time to write. Now, I will admit this is not my best chapter by far and it is shorter, however I am writing the next one right now because I am off of work until Thursday, so an update will be coming very soon. I have big plans for the next chapter so hang in there and get ready for what is coming next.**

**Chapter 6:**

The night was warm, but with a cool breeze in the air as they walk down the side streets on their way to Piper's house. Every step they get closer to Piper's house, Alex gets more curious at what may lay ahead. Their hands brush against each other a few times, making electricity run up Piper's spine causing her to shiver.

Piper turns one last corner before walking up to a small house with a medium sized yard, shed off to the side with amazing flower beds all over. Alex smiles to herself as Piper walks up the two steps to get to the front door. "Well…. I guess this is a goodnight?" Alex steps up to the stairs and looks up at Piper.

"Alex, why don't you come in?" Piper opens the door, signaling for her to walk in.

"Okay, but just for a little bit." Alex smiles up to her, the smile reaching her eyes. Alex walked into the smaller sized house and immediately felt a certain level of comfort. Piper took the right doorway into what was a small kitchen with a kitchen table off to the side.

Alex sat down at the table looking at the blonde with a look of curiosity and what was going on. The blonde grabbed two glasses out of the cabinet above the sink and a bottle of wine hidden behind cleaning supplies under the sink.

"I didn't want Taylor drinking my 'special juice'." Piper laughed as she took off the top and poured the red wine into the glasses. Alex watched from the table as she let thoughts of Piper run through her mind. "Taylor has gotten pretty fond of you." Piper hands her a glass of wine as she sat down across the table from her.

"I'm pretty fond of her too, Piper." Alex drinks from the glass before setting it down onto the table looking in Piper's direction. "You're raising a great daughter."

Piper looks at Alex with admiration in her gaze as she contemplates what to say next, playing with the glass in her hands. "Where did you come from?"

"What do you mean, Pipes?" Alex chuckles at this as she leans forward to look at Piper more closely across the small table in the kitchen.

"You came into this town like a week ago and all of a sudden you mean so much to my daughter." Piper looked shyly down at her glass as she said this, a pink color coming onto her cheeks. Alex looked over to Piper with a darker look in her eyes than she has ever before, making Piper curious to what it all means.

"I think I should go…" Alex stands up, setting her glass on the table lightly and pushing the chair in.

"What, why?" Piper felt panic rise in her chest at the sudden change of mind from the brunette, making her think she had done something wrong.

Alex shifted the weight from her left foot to her right as she looked at the table, taking a deep breath before saying anything. "Piper, I can't do this if the feelings aren't mutual." Piper felt her head spin a little at this before actually processing what the words meant.

"Al, a label is a label and I don't want one on me. I feel what I feel and I don't care what others think of me." Piper says this with a tone of nervousness as she gets up and takes a step towards Alex. "Don't pull away because of assumptions." Clear blue eyes meet green for what felt like the first time that night.

Alex let a breath out softly before moving into the living room area to sit down on the couch where she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Pipes, I am broken. Broken from childhood, from adulthood, from war, and almost everything in between. I don't want you or Taylor to get involved in my broken life." Alex said this with a stern look on her face with a voice that seemed void of emotion, like she had been saying it all her life. "There are things I have seen that would make the toughest man cry and that keeps me up at night, thinking of those things or hearing them as if they are happening right now." Piper scoots closer on the couch next to Alex, reaching out to hold onto the beautiful woman right in front of her eyes.

"We all have broken pieces. I wake up sometimes crying at the thought of Larry coming home, or Taylor can't hangout at a friend's house too long because she doesn't understand why she doesn't have two parents." Piper turned Alex's face to look at her as she said the last part, their faces so close their noses were touching. "Sometimes being broken together is better than being broken alone."

Alex couldn't help herself as she let a small tear fall from her eye as she moved forward to kiss the blonde. Piper could taste the salt on her lips from the tears, but also the sweetness of the wine the two women had been drinking earlier. The brunette let her hands curl up in the blonde's hair, pulling her lightly towards her as if trying to stay grounded.

Piper deepened the kiss as she let her mouth open slightly to let Alex slip her tongue past her lips. Alex could feel the blonde pushing up closer to her causing her heart rate to speed up, her breath to hitch as she felt Piper's hands pull at her hips. Piper could feel her resolve that she had melting away, wanting the strong and beautiful woman in front of her more and more. It all started to turn into a frenzy of hands going places and a silence filled with the sounds of kissing.

"Son of a bitch!" Alex pulled back faster than Piper was ready for and immediately felt empty. The brunette stepped back, grasping at her side and stomach with a grimace on her face trying to keep her emotions in check.

"What's wrong?" Piper realized what was going on with Alex, rushing to her side to see how she could help. Without even hearing Alex answer she knew what it was. "Oh my god, your stitches. I'm so sorry, Alex." Piper wanted to help but didn't know what to do

"Piper, it's okay. I just need to be more careful." Alex ran her hands through her hair as she looked at Piper again. "Listen, I should probably get going, but I want to take you and Taylor out tomorrow." She was saying this as she was walking to the front door, smiling at the blonde following her.

"That sounds really nice." Piper could feel the heat rising up her neck to her face as she looked at the woman in front of her.

"I will pick you up at ten tomorrow." Alex leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Piper's cheek before stepping outside the door one last time that night. "Goodnight, Pipes."


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I finally got this longer chapter finished and I think it turned out pretty good. The next chapter will be the one that you guys have been waiting for so I will try my hardest to get it done as fast as possible. **

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 7:**

Cleaning the crust out of the corner of her eyes, Alex wakes to the sun shining in through the little cracks through the makeshift curtain she hung in the bedroom of the shack. The thoughts of the night previous came rushing back, like waves of the ocean. Piper's lips on hers and the way that it made a fiery feeling run down her spine even just thinking about it. Alex could feel herself getting excited about the idea of seeing that beautiful blonde woman again.

Running her hands through her hair she gets up, making her bed as she does so as if on base still. The morning had a tinge of cool to it as Alex put on a pair of jeans and a simple purple v-neck with her hair tied back. Her mind continued to race at the thoughts of Piper and her sweet little girl as if a feeling of belonging was settling over Alex for the first time in so long. Piper was a force that couldn't be stopped in Alex's world, her feelings growing stronger every day that passed. Alex didn't let her thoughts linger on her feelings for Piper very long knowing the sad truth to come.

Driving the black truck she has rented, she has the windows down letting the cool morning air hit her face as she gets closer to the one place she can't wait to be. When she gets there Taylor was already sitting on the front steps playing with the straps of her little backpack she had.

"Alex!" Taylor jumped to her feet and ran towards the truck as finishes pulling into the driveway. "Mom says you're taking us on an adventure." As she says this she pulls at the truck door handle, pulling with all the strength she has.

Alex gets out of the truck to help Taylor into the back seat, buckling her in and listening to her talk about the dreams she had the night before. Piper walks out the door at the moment Alex gets back into the driver's side, making her breath catch in her throat. The blonde was wearing white jean shorts that made her legs look amazing with a yellow tank top that made the blue of her eyes stand out more. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, letting the little waves fall down and catch Alex's attention the most.

Piper gets into the passenger side of the door, letting her hand rest and linger on Alex's forearm for longer than usual. "Good morning, Alex." She finished this parade of actions with a soft smile that seemed to drive every part of Alex's body insane.

"Morning, Pipes." Alex shifts the truck into drive as she heads out of the driveway to start their day off.

The ride felt longer than necessary for both Alex and Piper as they listened to Taylor sing along to all the different country songs that came on the radio. But when they pulled into a nearly empty parking lot, the two blondes didn't seem sure if they wanted to get out.

"C'mon you two, it will be fun."

"Not if we get killed." Piper held her laughter back as Taylor said this to Alex with the most stern voice coming from such a young child.

"We will not get killed, okay?" Alex grabs her backpack from the back of the truck as she helps Taylor down from the backseat of the truck.

Taylor grabbed onto Alex's hand as she led the way down a small woodsy trail towards the sound of rushing water. The trees overreached the trail the three girls were walking, tickling their faces as they continued their journey. It started to get warmer as they walked more, the sun bringing heat onto the warm ground, making them work even harder as they walked. Then, all of a sudden the two older women hear the child gasp and look at what she found.

Rushing water fell down rocks with a loud sound, trees sticking out of some of the rocks and a cool breeze coming off the surface of the rushing water. Piper couldn't help but let her jaw drop at the beautiful sight in front of her, the waterfall pooling at the bottom with trees lining the edges of the pool of water. By the time she had finally appreciated the view of the waterfall, Taylor was already knee deep in the water at the bottom of the falls trying to get Alex to come in.

"Alex, pleeeaaaaassseeee?" Alex's laughter filled the air as she looked over to Piper for help but found none.

"Give me a few minutes okay, kid?" Alex set her backpack down on the ground looking for something as Piper stood back and watched the beautiful woman in front of her. The brunette pulled the purple shirt over her shoulders and off in a swift move that left Piper breathless at the fast and innocent move.

"Um, Piper? Could you come help me?" Piper got shaken out of the trance she fell in as she was looking at the beautiful woman. Alex was holding up a type of clear medical wrap towards the blonde, eyebrows raised in question.

The blonde rushed over to help, holding the clear bandage wrap in place as Alex spun around a few times awkwardly to cover her stitches. Piper could feel the strength of the muscles of the woman under her fingertips, as if she could not get enough of that soft yet strong feeling. Alex on the other hand, felt only electricity where the soft touches of the blonde landed on her sides, back and stomach.

Normally, Alex felt nervous about letting others see her injuries or scars due to the feeling of vulnerability. But with Piper she felt as if she was stronger from those injuries and scars, like a survivor and not a victim anymore to her past. "Thanks." Alex rolls up what is left of the wrap and places it back into her bag before turning to Piper again. "Do you want to go swimming?"

Piper nodded her head, still not having the strength to speak to the gorgeous woman in front of her. For the first time in years, Piper was nervous to be almost naked in front of somebody. Sure, she was wearing a swimming suit but it was like all of a sudden she was worried about what the other woman thought of her body and how it looked. Piper slowly pulled off her shirt and shrugged off her jeans before following Alex's lead and getting into the pool with Taylor.

The older blonde woman looked over to the brunette to only see her glance leave quickly with a twinge of pink covering her cheeks. Alex had been trying not to stare at the goddess in front of her, but found it difficult as she was basically strip teasing in front of her, or at least that is how it felt.

All of a sudden a cold rush runs over Alex's shoulders and back as she turns around to see the culprit that was the cause of this. Taylor was standing behind her with a wide smile on her face as she tried running away from the older woman, filling the air with laughter. As Alex tried to catch her to throw her into the water, she kept missing her by a few inches and only getting splashed by her more. Quickly changing direction, Alex heads over to Piper with a devilish look on her face, making Piper squirm slightly. Alex picks up Piper slightly before yelling out to the littler blonde.

"Apologize or mommy gets it!" This stopped Taylor in her tracks as she looked at the joking fear in Piper's eyes at the sound of the threat. The little girl comes closer at a slow rate with her hands up, trying to show that she means no harm. She stops short by a couple of feet before speaking to the two women.

"Please don't drop her." Taylor gave puppy dog eyes to the darker haired woman before smiling really big and splashing the two of them. Laughing loudly, Taylor takes off again in the water to try and get away from the now two drenched women.

"Oh you're going to get it!" Piper jumped out of Alex's hold, running after her daughter that she wanted to get revenge on.

The next couple hours were filled with laughter and playing in the water while also exploring the area around them. Alex eventually gets out of the water, walking over to her backpack on the shore to pull out some lunch for the girls. Taylor comes running up, fresh out of the water with wrinkled fingers and blue lips.

"Hey there, kid." Alex hands a sandwich to the little girl before handing the other one to Piper. "I hope this wasn't too boring." A smile crept onto Piper's face as she looked up at the brunette, making her want this day to last forever.

"Not at all." Piper looked up at the tall woman, but in that moment there was a sense awkwardness from the events of the night previous. Alex wanted nothing more than to lean down and capture the blonde woman's lips with her own, but the back region of her mind stops her.

Alex liked spending time with Piper, okay she loved it, but she knows better than that. The brunette was never in one place too long before having to be taken away from her sanctuary, never letting her get too close to another person that wasn't blood related. Piper was different, she came into her world all of a sudden and out of nowhere, but she made her world turn upside down.

Piper on the other hand wants to know what is going on in Alex's mind, wanting to know if she was feeling the same things as her. She felt butterflies every time that Alex said her name, felt her skin tingle every time that Alex touched her, and she felt every nerve ending in her body when Alex kissed her. Piper didn't know she wanted to be with another woman so badly before until Alex stepped into her life, making her rethink everything.

The three girls ate their lunches together as the day continued to pass them by, never once stopping to check the time. Taylor played in the water more until she started to shiver so bad that Piper had to physically pull her out of the water. Alex had unwrapped her stitches a long time ago, letting them breathe out in the air for what felt like the first time since she got them. Alex for the first time that day while she was sitting in the grass on a towel, looked at Piper. Piper was wearing a purple swimming suit that made her skin seem a darker shade, her skin a perfect smooth texture that Alex wanted to run her hands over. Alex felt heat come to her chest as she looked over Piper's body and curves, spotting what looked like little stretch marks that must have been from Taylor. Those tiny imperfections made Alex smile, never realizing that such a blemish could be so beautiful. Alex let her thoughts wander and explore more of the beautiful woman in front of her, causing her to not be able to look at the woman directly anymore. This woman was going to be the death of her.

Alex dried the dishes while Piper put the last of the leftovers in the fridge that the three of them didn't eat. The brunette could hear Taylor from the other room over playing with Legos and making stories with them, causing the two women in the kitchen to smile. Piper put the last of the plastic wrapped bowls in the fridge before yelling to Taylor, "Kiddo, time for bed!"

"Mommy can Alex tuck me in?" Taylor pokes her head around the corner of the wall to look at her mom with begging eyes.

"If you can get your pj's on and have your teeth brushed in five minutes I will let her tuck you in." And before the last word left Piper's mouth the little girl was already running down the short hallway back to her room. "I'm sorry for signing you up, but she will go to bed much easier for you than for me knowing that you are here."

"It's okay, I'm happy to do it." Alex started heading back towards Taylor's room before hearing Piper yell one last thing to her.

"She gets two stories and that's it!"

Shutting Taylor's door lightly, making sure not to wake up the little girl who had just passed out, Alex heads out to the living room to find Piper sitting there with a glass of wine in her hand and one sitting on the side table. Alex picks up the wine glass sitting on the side table before sitting down next to Piper on the couch.

"She didn't even make it through the second story before she started snoring." Alex took a long sip from the glass before looking over to Piper.

"The one thing she seemed to get from her father."

Silence filled the room as the two women played with the wine glasses in their hands, neither wanting to ruin the nice moments they had shared throughout the day. Piper slid her leg over just slightly enough to rest barely against Alex's thigh, making both women look at the connection.

"Piper-" Alex began before feeling Piper's hand rest on her leg lightly.

"Alex I feel things towards you that I haven't felt towards anybody before." Piper felt the words just fall out of her mouth before being able to stop them. "And the way you are with Taylor makes me just want you around all the more."

"Piper, I don't think this is a good idea." Alex saw Piper's face fall immediately at her words.

"I don't-" Piper couldn't make the words form in the way she wanted.

"Pipes, I'm in the service. I leave every few months for tours that could last up to a year." Alex laid her hand on top of Piper's before continuing. "I don't want to do that to you or Taylor, you deserve better than somebody who is always leaving."

Piper lets herself feel sad, lets her emotions show on her face at the words that Alex had just said to her. Alex shifts over slightly to try and hold Piper as she feels the blonde woman crumple into her hold. "Just be with me tonight."

"But Tay-" Alex tries to say before Piper's lips are on hers, making electricity run through her spine.

"She won't wake up." Piper rested her forehead against Alex's gently, looking up into her eyes. "Just stay, please."

"Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! so this took longer than I thought but I really wanted to get this big moment right. So please enjoy and if you don't like M rated things I would suggest skipping this chapter :)**

**Chapter 8:**

Piper could feel her heartbeat in the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes as Alex holds her hand as they walked to Piper's bedroom. Her nerves were on high alert as she closed the door behind her, resting her forehead against the door as if to catch her breath. Without turning around she feels Alex's lips against the back of her neck causing Piper to have a shiver run down her back.

Alex gently grabbed and moved the blonde's hair over her opposite shoulder to have better access to the one side of her neck. She could feel Piper's pulse under the pressure of her lips, her heart beating so fast yet at the same pace of Alex's. The brunette rests her hands on Piper's hips, turning her around slowly to look at her face for the first time since entering the room.

Piper looked up into Alex's eyes to see her eyes as dark as the night sky, losing herself in them as she let the feeling of pressure from Alex's hands wander across her body. She felt rough yet strong hands slip under the hem of her shirt, pushing flat against her stomach as she saw Alex look down at her hands. Alex's eyes drifted up to meet Piper's as she took in the feeling of soft skin against her hands, the way it was smooth yet slightly rough from stretch marks.

Piper placed her hands lightly on the brunette's hips to push her back until the backs of her legs hit the bed, making her sit down. She looked down at the woman sitting on her bed before lifting her shirt off to expose her top half to Alex. The blonde felt her stomach turn as if making her sick before she felt Alex's hand on her forearm, grabbing her attention. "You're so beautiful, Pipes."

Piper felt her nerves relax a little as she felt reassurance from the woman looking at her from her bed. The blonde leaned slightly forward to reach for Alex's shirt before being grabbed and pushed onto the bed underneath the brunette. Piper smiled up at the woman as she heard a small laugh escape her lips, causing more nerves to fade away.

"Alex?" Piper could barely get her name out as Alex started kissing and licking her way down her neck to her collarbone.

"Hmm?" Alex continued her actions as she listened for what the blonde had to say.

"I uh.. This is embarrassing…" Piper chuckled to try and break the tension she felt in herself before trying to speak again. "I haven't been with anybody since Larry." She felt dumb to admitting the fact that she hasn't had sex for over six years, making her feel so insecure in what to do.

Alex stopped her ministrations on Piper's shoulder to look up at her for what she was going to say next. "Pipes, it doesn't matter to me." Alex pulled a string of hair out of the blonde's face and tucked it behind her ear.

"But I just-"

"All that matters is that it's just me and you." Alex for the first time that night initiated the kiss between the two women. "Just…. Promise if something I do or we do makes you uncomfortable." Alex waited until she saw Piper nodded her head before continuing to kiss her neck again.

Piper let her hands roam in the dark hair of the other woman as she tried to hold in noises at the sensations she started to feel. In all of the times she has had sex it was always about the other person, getting the other person off and maybe if she was lucky she got some action too. For the first time she was getting all the attention and she didn't want to admit it to herself, but she really enjoyed it.

Alex straddled Piper's lap as she sat up pulling her own shirt off, looking down at the blonde who seemed to be mesmerized by the sight in front of her. Piper reached a slow hand up to Alex's stomach, feeling all of the scars from smallest to the biggest, oldest to newest. She finally let her sights land on the somewhat fresh scar on her side, seeing is start from her right hip going up along the side to just below the bottom of the black sports bra she wore. Piper traced the very edge of it with her finger, trying to wrap her mind around how the fact this beautiful woman endured so much pain.

Alex for the first time in a long time, let herself feel relieved. The woman below her looked at her as if she was beautiful and not a broken mess. Alex knew she looked good, she had beautiful hair, slim body, and a good sized chest, but all of those were things that people could see on the outside. Piper saw the scars and the pain they brought her and still looked at her like she was worth something.

Alex started kissing and biting at the top part of the blonde's chest as she let her arms wrap around her to unhook her bra, letting it fall loose against the blonde. Piper felt heat run to her cheeks, shy of how small her chest was and what the other woman would think of her because of that. The blonde wasn't able to think too hard about that as she felt Alex's mouth closed around her nipple and her fingers tease the other one. Piper wrapped her legs around Alex's waist to try and bring her closer to where she wanted her to be.

Alex started to lick and bite her way down the blonde's chest and sides, making Piper tense up at the contact but in a pleasurable way, as if she couldn't get close enough to Alex's touch. Piper traced her fingers up Alex's sides and back, feeling the strength under her very touch. Alex let a small hiss like noise out of her mouth as she felt Piper's nails slightly scrape at her back, stopping at where her bra started.

The brunette quickly stood up, unbuttoning her pants and taking them off while looking at the half naked woman laying in front of her. Alex reached softly for Piper's pants, pulling one leg off at a time to try and tease the blonde more with each passing second. Piper eventually had enough, grabbing Alex by the hips and pulling her down on top of her.

"Somebody is impatient." Alex lets out a small laugh as she lets her hands tease the soft skin of Piper's stomach on their painfully slow path to her lower half.

"Well, if somebody would-" Piper got cut off by letting out a moan as Alex had slipped her hand inside of her panties.

"You were saying?" Alex let her fingers slide through her folds, teasing at her clit slightly. She kissed her way up Piper's neck before getting to her ear and whispering, "Please tell me if I need to stop." Alex was afraid that she had pushed this too far, making it seem like she was forcing Piper into this.

Piper pulled Alex's face in front of hers, resting their foreheads together gently before speaking softly to the woman in front of her. "I want this Alex, just… go slow to start, okay?"

"Okay, Pipes." Alex let her fingers tease Piper on her clit, drawing circles with her thumb softly and slowly. Piper let her body feel what was happening, all of the shocks run through her system at every touch that hit the right spot.

After watching Piper squirm for long enough, Alex sits back slightly pulling the blonde's underwear with her. As soon as Piper was completely naked in front of Alex, it finally hit her what was happening. This beautiful woman she had only met a few days ago was about to have sex with her, but deep down she knew it was more than that. Piper knew those looks that Alex gave her, the gentle touches that grazed her skin, Alex was putting emotion into this. Piper hated the words 'making love' because the act of sex doesn't make the love itself, its already there, but if there was a time Piper experienced making love, it was this.

Alex kissed her on the lips gently before pushing two fingers into Piper, looking at her face to see if she was okay. Piper squirmed slightly, not used to the feeling of being pushed open like that again after so long. The blonde dug her nails into Alex's back, causing Alex to apologize and go to pull out before Piper stops her.

"Just give me a minute." Piper kissed her deeply, letting her tongue slip into Alex's mouth. Eventually, Piper rested her hand on Alex's showing her that it was okay to start moving. Alex pulled away from the kiss to watch Piper's expressions as she pulled her fingers out slowly and pushing them in again at a little faster pace.

Piper lifted her hips to meet each of Alex's thrusts, causing a deeper sensation to hit her than she was used to remembering. Alex saw that Piper was getting used to the feeling again, so she began kissing her way down Piper's body until she was where her fingers were.

Alex pulled out her fingers, wiping them on the sheets by her side as she took her first lick of Piper's center. They didn't know it, but both of their heads span around at the same time, both enjoying what had happened. Piper wrapped her fingers in Alex's hair, pushing her slightly into her to get all the friction she could. At this Alex let her tongue linger over her clit as she put her fingers in Piper once again, making the blonde pull harder at her hair.

It wasn't ten minutes later of those same actions that Piper found herself being hit with pleasure that felt like a wall of bricks. Her legs began to shake, her head thrown back and all caution thrown to the wind. Alex on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off of Piper,wanting to remember this for a very long time.

After finally being able to breathe normally again, Piper looked over to the brunette laying beside her. "I can take care of you." She felt dumb for saying it like that but she wanted Alex to know this wasn't one sided.

"It's okay, tonight was a lot." Alex laid her arm out for Piper to crawl onto to lay her head there.

The two women laid there with the lamp on and let their heartbeats match up once again in the silence of the room. Before either of them knew it, Piper had drifted off to sleep causing Alex to be stuck laying there with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

Alex took her hand and pushed a piece of hair out of Piper's face, kissing her forehead softly. "I think I'm falling in love with you Piper Chapman." And with that Alex closed her eyes trying to replay all of the events of the last week in her mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for not updating in a long time, but there will be another update tomorrow so stay tuned. Also there will be another story from me starting here soon. So please enjoy and I hope you guys like it.**

**Chapter 9:**

Alex woke up to the feeling of small hands on her face with warm breath on her cheeks. "Alex!" She opened her eyes to see the little blonde girl looking down on her with a smile on her face. "I didn't know it was a sleepover! Why wasn't I invited?" Taylor looked sad as she tried to piece the puzzle together.

"Taylor, what are you doing in here?" Alex heard Piper's voice from beside her in the bed, a sound of panic in it.

"Why didn't I get to be apart of the sleepover?" Taylor climbed off of the brunette and sat on the blonde's stomach.

Piper looked to Alex for an answer to give Taylor, but was receiving no help. "I didn't know Alex was planning a sleepover, but next time we will be sure to include you." The little girl seemed satisfied with that answer and tried to settle between the two women before getting stopped by her mom. "Hey Sweetie, why don't you go brush your teeth and maybe Alex with stay for breakfast."

With that, Taylor took off down the short hallway to get ready for breakfast. Piper turned quickly to Alex before saying anything. "You have got to get dressed!" Alex laughed at the sight of the blonde trying to find clothes in the small time she had created for them.

"Piper-"

"Alex, not now okay? Let's talk later." Alex felt her heart drop to her stomach at the words that came from Piper's mouth. The brunette sat up, reaching for her clothes on the ground and trying to hide her feelings behind the sound of shuffling clothes.

Piper felt the silence hit like a brick wall in the room. She turned to see Alex sitting on the edge of the bed, head tilted down, looking for clothes or something else that Piper couldn't understand. "Hey," Piper walked over to the edge of the bed where Alex was sitting, pushing her head up to get her green eyes to meet her blue. The blonde put her knees on either side of Alex's hips before sitting on the brunette's lap to get her attention. "It's not that kind of 'talk later'. I just want us to have more time to talk."

Alex smiled up at the beautiful woman before nodding her head, showing her that she was okay. The brunette didn't know what had come over her so quickly. So what if Piper didn't want this to go farther than a fun night? She didn't like the feeling of her heart sitting in the bottom of her stomach, thinking that for a split second what happened meant nothing. Piper placed her hands on either side of her face, kissing her forehead lightly before getting up and heading out the bedroom door.

"Captain, the stitches are out but you still need to take it easy. You could very well strain something that can hurt your recovery and cause it to be longer." Dr. Reece said this as he took the gloves off, tossing them in the trash. "The rule of thumb I always tell patients is to do any physical activity you should be able to go up and down stairs without feeling any pain in that area."

Alex felt a small smile cross her face at the thought of having to be restricted from activity, knowing full well that she had already broken that rule. "Yes, sir."

"How's it going with making a personal connection with somebody?" The doctor turns to her, looking at her file one last time to check over everything he had added this visit.

"I'm trying, but I will have to leave again. I can't stay on medical leave forever, doc." Alex let her fingers play with each other as she said this to him, finally letting some vulnerability to show.

"That doesn't mean you can't have something to come back to, Captain." He set the file down on the counter behind him before continuing. "Listen, I'm by far not even close to being a therapist or anything, but I think if you have a chance at something, take it because one day you won't have that anymore."

Alex let the words sink into her, bringing up thoughts of a blonde woman with pretty clear blue eyes. "I will have to look into that."

Alex hadn't seen Piper or Taylor in a few days after the 'sleepover' incident, making her worry all the more. She wanted to say all the things that have been going through her mind the last few days, driving her insane.

Walking into Red's on a hot summer day was like trying to fight the crowds on Black Friday. Everybody and their brother was there trying to get any cold treat or dessert they could find. Alex fought her way to the counter, looking for the one person she couldn't get off her mind. "Piper?" Alex could feel her voice get lost in the crowd of people as she looked along the other side of the counter.

Suddenly, the brunette felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see the woman she had been thinking of. Piper had on jean shorts and a navy tank top that made Alex want to just keep looking at her all day. "Hey, can we talk?" Alex tried to whisper yell to Piper in her ear so she could hear her better.

Piper pointed towards the door and Alex led the way back out of the crowded diner. "I know it's hot out, but I couldn't hear anything in there." Piper explained as they stepped outside into the humid air.

"Do you want to come over for dinner?" The brunette let the words fall out of her mouth before she could stop and think. "I mean- if you're not busy." Pink started to tinge her cheeks at her semi-recovery.

"Taylor has been at camp all week, so I think I can swing one dinner." Piper smiled up at the taller woman, wondering what was going through her mind.

"Okay, how about you come over at six?" Alex could feel her heart racing like a middle schooler asking their crush to dance.

"I will see you then, Vause." Piper smiled one last time before opening the door to the diner and entering the crowd of people again.

Piper had been wanting to see Alex for several days now, but after what happened she wanted Alex to approach her. She felt like she had made Alex feel the need to have sex with her, as if she didn't have a choice. Piper wanted to believe the emotions she saw on her face and her motions were true. That they were from her heart, but she didn't want to assume.

Alex had been thinking along the same line, afraid her actions pushed too far. But in her mind, she wanted to go farther. The brunette for the first time could feel a sense of belonging, a place that was safe for her to be. She wanted to tell Piper everything, from how she made her feel to how she wanted to be around Taylor too. She finally wanted to plant roots somewhere.

Alex spent the day trying to get the piece of shit oven working so she could make something decent for Piper. But in a last ditch effort, she ordered chinese from a restaurant in town to try and at least have something made before the blonde got there.

The tiny house now had decent wood flooring, a small kitchen table, sturdy walls, and a bedroom that didn't look like the verge of falling apart. Her walls were filled with pieces of paper with drawings on them from Taylor. Drawings of animals or memories of their adventures together. Alex felt at peace in her small shack in the woods, like she could do or be anything without worrying about what others thought.

A tiny, almost shy knock was heard from the front of the house, followed by a calling of her name. "I'm in the kitchen." Alex yelled to Piper from where she was standing, scooping the chinese out of containers to look somewhat presentable.

"Hey." Alex set down the fork she was using to dish up food, turning around to see the most beautiful sight in the world. Piper stood there in black strappy sandals, a simple but fitting black dress that reached just above her knees and her hair curled and put up into what was supposed to be a bun. In that moment Alex couldn't find any words to say at the goddess in front of her.

Finally, Alex was able to stop staring at the blonde and looked down realizing what she was wearing. "Let me go change-"

"You don't have to!" Piper jumped in, trying to make her feel better about the level of dress in the situation. Piper actually liked the dark blue jeans and military issued hoodie with her name stitched into the sleeve.

"If you're sure…"

"I am." Piper felt heat rise up onto her cheeks at how fast she answered the question, letting Alex know how she felt.

"Take a seat, it's nothing special but I hope you like it." Alex set down different bowls, each holding a different type of chinese food. "I tried to actually cook, but it just wasn't happening today, so I thought of a backup plan." the brunette laughed lightly at herself for feeling so stupid over something so little like food.

"No it's great, honestly. Taylor hates chinese so I never get to eat it." Piper reached her hand over to rest on Alex's as if trying to make her feel better about the whole situation.

The two women sat in silence as they ate their food, both stealing glances at one another when they thought the other person wasn't looking. Before they realized, the food was gone and nothing was left but the silence. Alex stood up taking their plates to the tiny sink in the corner, washing them slowly, trying to buy time.

Soon, the brunette felt hands on her waist, making her turn around and face the blonde. Piper grabbed the towel off the counter and dried Alex's hands, keeping eye contact the whole time. "Alex, why did you invite me over?" Piper could feel the tension lift off her shoulders, but quickly land on her heart.

Alex looked down at their hands before looking back up at Piper. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened." Piper stiffened at the words, but tried her best to hide any emotions behind her calm face.

"What do you mean?"

Alex took a deep breath, leading Piper back to the table to sit down. She brought her chair in front of Piper so they were sitting face to face, knees touching lightly. "Piper, I have told you a few times now but I am in the service. I leave on tours that can last months at a time." Alex let her eyes drift to their connected hands. "I didn't want you and Taylor to always be waiting for me to come home, to live your lives. I didn't want to be apart of your lives like that."

Alex felt Piper pull away from her, looking up to see the blonde trying her hardest to hold her emotions back. "This isn't coming out how I wanted it to." Alex took another deep breath and looked at the ground as she said this. "Piper, I feel something for you. Something that I haven't felt for somebody before and I'm scared. I have faced bullets head on and yet here I am, scared to tell you that I want to be around you. I want to be with you." Alex finally took a breath after saying all of that in one fast go, trying to get the words out before she could stop herself from saying what she meant.

She looked up to see blue eyes thinking about what had just been said, trying to understand what it meant. "Please say something." Alex could feel her heart beating, as if trying to escape her chest.

Piper placed her hand on the side of Alex's face, making her look up at her. "Alex, I want to be with you too." A smile spread across the brunette's face at these words. "I want to see where this goes, where it takes us." Piper didn't exactly know who kissed who first but it was all passion when their lips met.

Alex cupped Piper's cheek with one hand as the other pulled her closer by the hip. Piper let her fingers tangle in the dark hair, pulling her closer than what was possible. After minutes of heavy kissing and lingering touches on bodies, Alex pulled back. "What about Taylor?" Piper looked really confused for a minute before processing the question.

"When we know what this is, I will tell her." Piper let her fingers trail down Alex's neck and across her collarbone. Alex closed her eyes at the feeling of Piper's touch. When she opened her eyes she was amazed by the sight before her once again. Piper's hair was falling across her face, lips puffy, and eyes half open with dark eyes hidden beneath them.

Alex grabbed Piper's hands as they started to trace patterns, slowly going lower. "Pipes- Piper- Hey." Piper looked up into her green eyes, confused as what was happening once again. "Let's just take it slow, okay? I want to get to know you before we do this again." Piper gave a small huff before moving her hands away and giving the brunette more space.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I want to know Piper Chapman, not from what I hear around but what is in your heart." Alex looked at her softly as she spoke these words.

"Okay, but only if I get to know Alex Vause."

"You got yourself a deal, Ms. Chapman."


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Late update but I got it in today. This chapter kind of sucks but it is kind of setting things up to start rolling in the next couple of chapters for me, so hang on I promise it will get better!**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 10:**

The cool air from inside the diner rushed out into the warm air outside as the door closed slowly. Lorna sat at the counter with Nicky, holding hands under the counter while eating food with their opposite hands.

"How can I help you?" Red's gruff voice came from behind the counter as she cleaned glasses with a towel.

A man with dark hair with a slight curl to it sat down at the counter, six seats down from the two women. He placed his wallet and phone on the table, smiling sweetly up at the woman with bright red hair. "I'm looking for Piper." his voice thick and heavy.

"What for?" The wild haired woman a few seats down spoke up, leaning over to get a good look at the man.

"She just has something I think I want." He tapped the counter then pointed to the coffee machine, wanting Red to pour him a cup.

"Well, she works here sometimes, but not today." Red sets an empty cup on the counter and a pot of black coffee next to it, making him pour it himself.

The man pours himself a cup, taking a long sip of the hot drink before placing some money on the counter under the cup. "Well, if she stops in let her know Larry is looking for her."

"Alex!" Taylor yelled as she got out of her mom's car and ran towards the front of her house where Alex had been waiting for the little girl to return from camp.

"Hey, Kiddo! How was camp?" Alex picked her up and hugged her as the little girl laughed.

"It was fun! I painted you something!" The little girl squirmed out of Alex's hold as she ran back to her mom for her bag that she had brought to camp.

Digging deep into the bag she pulled out a semi crumpled piece of paper and ran back to the brunette. "Look!" Alex picked up the paper to see the cutest painting she had ever seen.

The little girl had painted a picture of the three of them, standing in front of Alex's little house but in a much better state than what it currently in. Alex turned to look at the little girl, her eyes looking for any sort of response from the taller woman. "I love it." Alex bent down and hugged the little girl thank you.

Piper smiled at the sight in front of her, the way her daughter was enthralled by Alex and everything that she was. "Hey, why don't we go to Red's and get some food. Maybe Auntie Nicky and Lorna will be up for that?" the little girl turned around quickly with a large smile on her face as she realized what was said.

Lorna paced the hallway of Nicky's home back and forth, hands tangled in her own hair as she tried to understand what to do. Nicky stepped in front of the brown haired woman, taking her face in her hands. "Hey, what's going on in that beautiful mind?"

Lorna looked into Nicky's eyes, searching for an answer that she wanted to see. "That guy," Lorna shook her head as if trying to settle her thoughts in her mind. "He is Larry."

"I kinda got that-"

"No, he is Piper's Larry." Lorna expressed with her hands as if that explained everything to Nicky.

"What does that mean?" Nicky pulled her favorite woman into the kitchen to sit down and talk about it.

"Remember how Piper came to town with an infant in her arms with nothing to her name?" Lorna pulled her hair to the side as she tried to breath more calmly. "Larry came home thinking Piper had aborted the baby, but when she didn't he went crazy." The brunette shook her head while looking at Nicky. "He hurt her. He hurt her bad, Nick."

"Then he won't find her again." Nicky looked into Lorna's eyes, trying to convey her feelings to her love. "We did get invited to Red's with our favorite little girl, so why don't we go see her, huh?" Nicky pushed by a lock of Lorna's hair as she said this.

"Nick, when can we have one of our own?" Lorna pulled the red haired woman's hands into her lap as she said this.

"Babe, we've talked about this. Once you can marry me, we will have our own little rug rats running around with my hair and your eyes." Nicky kissed Lorna on the cheek as she got up and grabbing her keys to leave.

"You know I love that mushy shit, don't you." Lorna smiled up at the woman, wanting nothing more than to stay here all day.

The four women and little girl met at Red's for dinner, celebrating that Taylor is back from camp in one piece. Everybody is enjoying special dishes from Red, none from the actual menu but all created for them individually.

Taylor had told them all of her different stories of camp and the friends that she made, but Alex couldn't focus on anything else but Piper. The blonde had been resting her hand on her leg all throughout dinner, tracing little circles on the inside of her knee with her thumb. She couldn't believe an innocent touch like this had that much power over her thoughts and actions.

As the dinner drew to a close, Lorna pulled Alex aside to talk. The smaller girl looked up into Alex's curious eyes with a hint of fear, not of Alex but what the future might hold.

"Alex, I need you to watch over Piper for me." Alex let her confusion show at these words. "Somebody from her past is in town and she just needs to be careful." Lorna looks into Alex's eyes with a pleading look, trying to make her understand the importance of all of this.

"Of course I will, but why?" Alex felt her heart rate pick up at the thought of anything happening to Piper.

"He is just a bad person from her past. He's not good for her or Taylor." Lorna wanted to explain more, but felt warm hands wrap around her waist as she heard Nicky's low voice in her ear.

"What are these ladies up to?" Nicky tilted her head towards Alex as if wanting to get some information out of her.

"Oh, just planning how to take over the world." Alex felt a slender hand sneak into hers, cold fingertips but a warm hand.

She looked over to see Piper carrying a passed out Taylor on her shoulder and knew it was time to get going. The two women said their goodbyes and headed towards Alex's truck. The car ride felt really short, as if there wasn't enough time for them to be together.

Alex carried Taylor into the house, setting her in her bed and pulling the covers over her gently. Piper watched all of this happen, wondering how she met a woman that cared so much for her little girl.

"You really love her." Alex heard these words as she closed Taylor's door until there was just a crack left open. The brunette went and sat in the living room before answering the blonde.

"She just has this whole world in front of her. Taylor can do whatever she wants and it's like she knows that." Piper could see the admiration behind Alex's eyes. "I would do anything to protect her and made sure she could be anything she wanted."

"How did we get so lucky to find you?" Piper leaned her head against Alex's shoulder as she said this softly.

"I don't know but I can't imagine a life without either of you in it." Alex let the words fall out before she could stop them. Piper turned towards her with a look of affection on her face, trying to keep from saying the words that were bound to ruin everything. "I heart you, Piper."

"I heart you too, Alex."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys I know it has been a long time since I have updated this story but I got some inspiration**** lately and so now I am going to writing more! I do apologize, some of the story gets to be a little unreal but i had to connect a few dots so I can get back to the right track. Please enjoy and comment with kindness :)**

**Chapter 11:**

Piper woke up, stretching her arms high above her head while letting out a long groan. She felt the side of the bed next to her, but instead of feeling the warmth of a certain burnette next to her, she felt cold sheets.

Getting up and heading to the kitchen, Piper didn't hear anything, which for the first time in her life made her worry. Taylor was always up before her, clanking around the living room or kitchen trying to start her day off right. "Taylor?" Piper turns the corner and sees a new paper attached to her fridge that wasn't there earlier.

Pipes,

Red called and said she needed your help at the diner, so I took Taylor to the city for the day.

I heart you X

AV

P.s. There is left over waffles from this morning in the freezer. Enjoy

Piper felt a smile cross her face as she read the note, wanting to see Alex and Taylor more than ever. Warming up a waffle in the toaster, she gets ready to work at Red's for the afternoon until the two girls get back from the city.

"Well, look who finally showed up!" Red yelled to Piper as she entered the front door of the diner. The counter was filled with customers, all talking with each other or reading the paper that was dropped off this morning.

"Alex didn't wake me up to tell me that you needed help." Piper laughed to herself as she set her bag behind the counter and pulling her hair up into a ponytail.

Piper begins filling coffee cups along the counter, taking orders and getting into a groove that she usually gets into. The blonde moves around the diner with ease, as if she had been doing this all her life.

About an hour into the shift, a lunch rush comes in with all the men who work on the boats or in town come in. A particular rowdy bunch of men sit in a booth in the corner of the diner, catching the attention of Red behind the counter.

"Men, always pigs." her gruff voice says to Piper as she heads over to the corner where the men are causing a disruption.

"What can I help you men with?" Red said as she slapped a towel down on the table in front of the man with the biggest build.

"Oh, nothing Red." The guy looked up into her Russian eyes with a smile on his face. "We are just getting to know Mr. New York here." He points to the man in the corner of the booth, sipping his drink politely.

Red makes eye contact with the man in the booth, slight curly hair and all. His brown eyes meet her fierce ones from across the table. "You are not allowed to be here." She points to the man, showing him where the exit is at the front of the diner.

"Red, is it?" He takes another drink from his glass before continuing. "Just let me see her. I just want to talk." He crosses his hands in front of him on the table with a sly smile on his face.

"You will leave here. Leave the money on the table and get out." Red picked up his plate from the table and started heading back to the counter when she heard his voice once again.

"Just let Piper know I am here." His voice traveled across the diner and landed on the ears of a waiter behind the counter.

Piper looked up to where she heard her name being called, confused by the commotion it was causing. Her eyes landed on the man with brown hair and eyes that she will never forget in her life. Eyes that she had once seen a future in, but instead ended up seeing pure anger in them the last time she looked into them.

The blonde couldn't hear anything the customer in front of her was saying, but instead set her notepad down and headed towards the back door behind the kitchen. She grabbed onto the door frame outside as if it was the one thing holding her onto the Earth. Her head was spinning in circles, going a million miles an hour with no sign of stopping.

"Well, look who I found." His voice pierced her ears as she tried to hold herself up. "Now, how come it took me so long to find you?" He squatted down to be able to look her in the eyes as she sunk lower onto the ground. Larry took a strand of loose hair out of Piper's ponytail and put it behind her ear as he spoke to her. "I have heard around town that the accident I told you to take care of, is still around. Now, why would that be?"

Piper pulled away from his touch as he spoke to her, almost to calmly for her comfort. "You must not have beat me hard enough." Piper spat towards him as she tried to stand up but was unable to as his hand was on her shoulder.

"You're probably correct on that one." He smiles towards her as she fits against his strength. "But because you didn't fix the accident, I want part in its life." He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants before speaking again. "So where is it?"

"You will never be apart of her life, Larry." She finally stands up to look him in the eyes. "You have no right."

"Oh, but see, I do have rights as her _father_." He smirks at her as he says this. "Now where is she?" He pushes her up against the back door on the outside of the diner, spit landing on her face.

"Hey what's going on?" Larry turned his head to see a tall woman with brown wavy hair with black rimmed glasses. "Piper?" Alex took a couple more steps towards the pair, confused about what was happening.

"Alex, just go, please." Piper tried to get past Larry to talk to her but was withstrained again.

"How about you just get out of here." Larry turned around from facing Piper to face Alex, trying to intimidate the brunette. "This is between me and Piper."

Alex looked at Piper and could see the worry on her face which was shining bright across her features. Piper slid out from behind Larry and went inside the diner again, leaving Alex and Larry to talk. "How about you back off of her, okay?" Alex took a few steps closer to the man before speaking again. "Listen, I know who you are. So why don't you just go back from where you came from." She crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke to him sternly.

"I'll leave… after I get what I came for." Larry felt the tension build between him and the woman in front of him.

"And what would that be?" Her voice dropped an octave at the feeling of defense.

"My daughter." He laughed at her look of confusion. "But you didn't realize that I was that person from Piper's past."

Alex felt her temper rise in her chest, knowing that he was the one that caused the blonde woman so much pain in her life. She breathed through her nose loudly, containing her anger. "If you come near her, we are going to have a very long talk."

"We'll see about that." Larry smiled slyly to the brunette before walking back towards the parking lot.

Alex rushed back to her truck to make sure that Taylor was still there and thankfully she was. The brunette opened her door, grabbing her phone. "Hey Nicki, can you do me a favor?" She felt horrible asking for another favor from her as she has already helped her so many times.

Taylor stuck her head over the armrest between the two front seats to look at Alex, trying to understand what is going on. "I need you to come get Taylor. Something has come up and I need to make sure she's in safe hands." Taylor's face dropped at the thought of having to leave Alex.

A few minutes later Nicki pulled up, helping Taylor get into her car before closing the door and turning to Alex. "What's going on?"

"I can't explain it right now, but I need to be alone with Piper." Alex put all her pleading emotion into her eyes to try and get Nicki to understand.

"I'll make sure Taylor is safe if you make sure Piper is." The crazy haired woman pat Alex on the shoulder before getting in the car with Taylor and leaving.

Alex walked back into the diner, looking for the blonde but not being able to find her. "Hey Red, have you seen Piper?"

"She's in the kitchen, I told her to stay put." Alex nodded as she headed towards the back of the counter and to the left into the kitchen. She turned the corner and saw Piper sitting in the corner of two counters on the floor.

"Pipes?" Alex approached carefully, squatting down in front of the blonde so she could look her in the eyes. "What's going on in that mind of yours?" Piper shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to look into those green eyes. "Piper, please look at me." Alex reached out and placed her hand gently on the side of her face, rubbing her cheek with her thumb softly.

Piper opened her eyes slowly, looking up into the brunette's eyes. "I can't lose her." She spoke the words softly as if she said them too loud he would come back.

"You won't. I'll make sure of it." Alex reached her other hand around Piper's waist to hug her as best as she could in this position. "Let's get you home." Aled pulls on her waist to get her up and walking towards her truck.

It had been several hours and Piper still laid in her bed with the covers pulled to her chin as tight as possible. Alex had left meals for her on the nightstand, but she hadn't touched the food since she placed it there.

"Piper, can I come in?" Alex stepped into her bedroom slowly, trying not to push the blonde farther than she needs. Piper nodded her head but didn't move any more than that.

"Babe, please talk with me?" Alex sat on the edge of the bed next to where Piper was laying. "What can I do to help?" Alex rubbed the blonde's shoulder, trying to get her to look at her.

"Nothing will help, he always gets what he wants." Piper's voice sounded hollow as she said this, closing her eyes again as if to make it all go away.

"Was he there when she was born?" Alex was trying to grab at straws to help Piper.

"No, I ran away from him before she was born." Piper sat up slightly, letting thoughts race through her head. "Alex, he wasn't there when she was born. His name isn't on the birth certificate!" Piper grabbed Alex's arm before continuing. "It's just me, but that leaves room for one more person to have custody."

"Only two people can have custody of a kid?" Alex felt her confusion fog her line of thinking as she tried to follow the blonde's words.

"Yes!" Piper hopped out of bed, grabbing a notebook to try and write the thoughts through more.

The blonde sat back in bed with the notebook next to Alex who was still looking at her with a confused look. The brunette looked over Piper's shoulder to see what she was working on, only to see a bunch of random lines and circles with rushed handwriting. "Alex! I got it."

"What?"

"Okay, so I am the only one on her birth certificate, but if he gets into the court first for her then he fills the second spot right?" The blonde's words were coming out rushed as she explained this to Alex.

"Yeah?"

"If somebody else is on her birth certificate before him, then there's no more room for another guardian or parent." Piper started getting excited for her plan. "But it's a less likely chance they give her second parent spot to somebody that the parent is married to."

"Piper, what are you trying to say?" Alex was still two steps behind in her thinking as Piper kept talking.

"Marriage equals adoption which equals no more spots for Larry."

"But who will you marry?" Alex was lost on Piper's explanation.

"I can't marry Lorna or Nicki because they are engaged and I don't want to stop them from being able to get married." Piper stopped talking for the first time in that whole conversation.

"Pipes?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking." Piper turned her face slightly away from Alex as she gathered the strength for what she wanted to say next. "Alex, I know it's only been a month and we don't have to make it a big deal but will you please help me out?"

"What do you mean, Pipes?"

"Will you marry me?" Piper held worry and anxiety in her eyes and expression as she asked those four words to the woman she was already falling in love with.

Alex didn't know what to think as those words left Piper's mouth, she knew they were coming but she didn't want to trap Piper in her life forever. She didn't want Piper to get a man in a uniform knocking on her door when Alex doesn't return from tour. But Alex couldn't see Taylor get hurt, she was worth everything to Piper and worth so much to Alex herself.

"Yes, I'll marry you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I am sorry for not updating my other stories lately. This is my first year in college and let's just say it is more hectic than I expected, but now that winter break is here I will be able to write a lot more. **

**Chapter 12: **

That night was filled with phone calls and plans for the two women. After hearing Alex's reply she already had Nicky and Lorna on the phone making plans for the following day. Alex on the other hand had been sitting in bed trying to wrap her mind around what had happened. _Marriage? _Alex never even thought farther than the next week, let alone what she wanted in her future. _For Taylor. _Was what she kept telling herself every time that Piper asked her a question about what she wanted.

"Alex, we don't have to." Piper had finally gotten off the phone and stopped pacing to look at Alex. Alex's eyes met her blue ones, searching for any answers she could find in what she wanted to say to the blonde.

"Piper, I just need a few minutes to wrap my mind around it." Alex ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it in waves to try and collect her thoughts. "I mean, are we even girlfriends? I met you a month ago." Alex could feel her anxiety rise in her chest, trying to make sense of all the words like puzzle pieces floating around in her head.

"Alex, we don't have to. I will figure something else out." Piper won't admit that it hurt her to think Alex may change her mind about it, not even about it just being about Taylor.

Alex stood up from the bed and began walking towards the front door of the house. "I'm just going to go for a walk, Pipes." And with that Alex left the small house with Piper standing there with tears threatening to fall.

"Okay, what's wrong." Nicky sat down across from Alex in a booth at the far end of Red's diner. "I have Piper calling me excited and you sitting here upset."

"Nick, I can't do it." Alex's eyes traveled all over the diner except when it came to looking at Nicky.

"Why not?" Nicky said this as she pulled a bottle of Coors out of her jacket pocket. "I mean, me and Lorna see the way you look at each other and the way you treat each other. It's something special, Vause."

Alex could feel her emotions boiling over, tears stinging the corner of her eyes as her throat seemed to be closing in on her. "It's not that I don't love her…" Alex was barely able to get the words out between her clenched teeth.

"Then what is it about?" Nicky kept pushing to get an answer out of the woman in front of her. "Vause, we are sitting in Red's Diner at midnight on a Thursday, I am not leaving until you tell me."

"What if I die?" Alex finally let a breath out as she finally said those words.

"From marriage?" Confusion covered Nicky's face as she said this.

"No." Alex played with the wrapper Nicky had peeled off her bottle. "I'm on medical leave, Nick. I have to go back at some point to finish out my tour."

"You mean, you're not out?"

"No, I have just under a year left." Alex grabbed the bottle out of Nicky's hands, taking a drink before continuing. "I don't want some officer showing up to Piper and Taylor's front door telling them I'm not coming home."

Grabbing her bottle back from Alex, she looks at her with the softest eyes that Alex has seen from her. "Listen, you made it what, three tours? You'll come back." Nicky took the last drink out of the bottle before slipping it back into her jacket pocket. "Piper loves you, man. And so does Taylor, they will understand. It will hurt when you leave to finish your tour, I can promise you that, but they will be happier when you get to come back for good."

Alex let her eyes travel between the wrapper and Nicky's face as she processed the words that she had said. "Now, you will get your sorry ass up and go talk to your soon-to-be wife about these feelings because I am sure she is confused as to why she is alone right now." With that Nicky stood up, signaling Alex to follow her out of the diner.

Alex drove slowly back to Piper's house, trying to wrap her mind around everything that she wanted to say to her. When she finally reached her street, she pulled up outside of Piper's house and saw that most of the lights were off except the one in the bedroom.

Making her way into the house, she can hear Piper crying in the bedroom down the hall from the entry to the house. Walking slowly back to the doorway, she could see that Piper was under the sheets once again with them pulled all the way up to her chin. "Pipes?" Taking steps closer to her side of the bed, she saw the blonde tucking further into a ball under the covers. "Can we talk, please?"

Alex stepped around the bed to where Piper was laying, seeing tears trailing down her cheeks as she avoided eye contact with Alex. "Pipes, I want to explain something and you will probably be upset." Piper continued to pull farther away from where Alex was sitting, like a child that had been yelled at. "I have a little under a year left on my tour when I am cleared to go back. I didn't tell you because what we have is so good and I started to fall for you, Piper." This got the blonde's attention and she stopped moving away. "I didn't want you to one day open the door and see an officer telling you that I wasn't going to make it home. That would tear you and Taylor apart, and I don't want to hurt you anymore than you already have been."

Piper sat up, scooting closer to Alex. "Alex, if that happens then we face it. But please don't let that stop you from being with me." The blonde moved closer until she was able to wrap her legs around Alex and she spoke in soft tones. "I won't lie and say the day you leave will be won't be hard, but when you come back…" Piper used her hand to lift up Alex's face to get her to look at her. "We can start being a family, if that's what you still want at that time."

Alex's eyes traveled all over Piper's face, trying to read what was going on in her head. "I can't see my life without you or Taylor in it, not anymore." Her smile traveled to her eyes as she looked into Piper's blue eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask." Piper smiled lightly as she laid her chin on Alex's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her.

"When I get back, I want to have a real wedding. Not just something in the courthouse in the city, but one where I get to see you in a dress with your hair done up." Alex turned her head so their noses touched one another. "Can we do that?"

"Of course, anything you want." Piper kissed Alex gently before pulling away and moving away so they could lay down in bed.

The two women laid in the bed just staring at each other as the time ticked by. "What will we tell Taylor?" Alex felt her nerves spike as she asked this.

"I'm going to tell her that we got married like other parents and that we just happen to both be girls." She traced light patterns on Alex's shoulder with her fingertips as she said this.

"Will she be there tomorrow?"

"I was thinking she could come, I want her to be apart of us." Piper's eyes looked up and met Alex's as she said this.

"I'd like that."

"Okay, kid. Which do you think?" Alex held two rings out for her. One was a simple silver band with diamonds lined in the ring and the other was more outgoing with a large diamond placed in the middle with a bunch of little ones around it placed on a gold band.

Taylor's eyes switched between the two of them, her little fingers touching them softly as if afraid to break them. "Which one is for mommy?" Her eyes moved up to Alex as she asked this before going back down to the rings.

"Whatever one you choose, you know her better." Alex smiled at the little girl looking between the rings again.

"This one." She pointed at the one with the gold band, smiling brightly up at Alex.

"Alright, this one it is!" The brunette placed the two rings on the counter, showing the man behind it which one they were going with.

The man showed the total to Alex on the screen of the computer before taking the ring and her credit card with him to finish the purchase. "What are you doing?" Alex walked over to the little girl looking in at the rings in the other display cases.

"I'm looking for you." Her face so close to glass it fogged it just a little.

"I don't need a ring, Tay." Alex squatted down until she was level with the little girl, looking in the case with her.

"Why does mommy get one and you don't?" Alex didn't know how to explain to the little girl that she would have to leave it behind when she left.

"What if mommy wanted to choose mine for me?" Alex said finally.

"Well, I chose mommy's so I should choose yours." The little girl had backed Alex into a corner with no way of getting out.

"Fine." Alex stood to her full height before walking back to the man who had the ring in its case and ready to go. "I'm sorry to do this after everything, but can you show my bands in a size eight?"

The man nodded with a smile on his face as Alex grabbed the already purchased ring and put it in her pocket. Within minutes the man had set out simple bands and rings that were in Alex's size that were sale ready. Alex picked up Taylor and put her on her hip so she could see the rings to choose from. "Okay, which do you like?"

Her little eyes traveled across the display mat at all the rings, then looked at Alex closely for what felt like a small eternity. "This one." Her little finger pointed to a matte black band with a gold back stripe on the top and bottom.

The man behind the counter looked up at me to double-check that I was okay with that one. Nodding Alex set the little girl down as she waited for the second purchase to be complete. Once the rings were done and paid for, Alex grabbed Taylor's hand as they left the jewelry store.

"What now?" Taylor's little voice spoke aloud as they walked down the street in the city.

"Now we go home and get dressed."

"Do I have to wear that dress?" Her little eyes met Alex's as she lifted the little girl into the back of her truck.

"That would be a question for mommy." Alex smiled at Taylor before moving to get into the driver's seat to take the little girl home.

The day flew by quickly as Lorna and Red went over to Piper's to help her get ready, so by the time Alex dropped Taylor off they were almost ready to go. Alex wasn't allowed in the house as they got ready because Lorna said it was "bad luck" so she met up with Nicky back at her and Lorna's place.

"You feeling better today, Vause?" Nicky said as she handed Alex a beer.

"Yeah, just nervous." Alex took a drink before realizing she had already put makeup on.

"This has got to be the weirdest day, you're in a dress." Alex laughed at Nicky's comment.

"I used to wear dresses, but when all you are given for half your life is military issued pants and shirts, you get out of the habit of wearing dresses." Alex was wearing a long black dress went down to the ground, but had a small slit up the leg. "Now, if I show up and Piper is in jeans and a t-shirt there will be hell to pay."

Nicky turned to check her phone that was going off on the counter in their kitchen. "Alright, Vause. It's now or never." The wild-haired woman said to her as she patted her on the back and getting into Alex's truck to leave.

The ride to the courthouse was a bit longer as they had to go a few towns over to get a nice one that had time for them today. When they pulled up Alex felt her nerves hit an ultimate high at what was about to happen. "Nick, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Shut up, no you aren't. Just wait until you get in there, everything will fall into place." Nicky grabbed Alex by the waist and pulled her towards the step.

Alex and Nicky were the first ones in the room, which in turn made Alex even more nervous. "What if she changed her mind?"

"You have seriously got to calm down, Vause." As she said this the judge came in and sat down behind the large desk at the front of the room.

"I have a few questions for you Miss." The judge spoke from behind the table. "Is she your witness?"

"Yes, sir" Alex played with the ring in her hand as she said this.

"And what will the married name be?" Alex looked back at Nicky, trying to gauge what she should choose.

"Uh- Vause, sir." Alex finally made a choice and she was praying that Piper was going to be okay with that.

"Now where is the rest of the group?" The judge finally looked up from the paper.

As soon as he asked that the door on the other end of the room opened and they turned to look. Alex's breath was absolutely taken away as Piper walked towards her, joining her by her side. The judge began talking but Alex didn't catch a single word as she looked at Piper across from her. She wore a beautiful white sundress-type with white heels that brought her to the same height as Alex. Her makeup was done naturally and her hair was curled and pinned to the side and over her shoulder.

"Ma'am?" The judge said as she felt a squeeze on her hands from Piper. "Do you want to say something?"

"Oh, yeah." Alex fumbled with the piece of paper that Nicky handed her. She cleared her throat before reading off the page. "Piper Chapman, the time we have spent together has been short but the feelings immense. I hope to take care of you and Taylor for as long as I can or as long as you will let me. I promise to never go to bed angry, to never eat the last of the leftovers, to leave without kissing you goodbye, and to always come home to you." By the end of her words, she could see tears forming in Piper's eyes, threatening to fall over.

"Alex Vause, I want to spend every second I have with you being in love and taking care of each other. The future holds no promises or plans, but I can promise to love you until the end of time. I never want to live a day without you by my side or in my mind, I plan to never allow that to happen. I heart you, Alex"

"Please place the rings on each other's fingers." The judge said from behind the desk.

Alex took Piper's hand gently as she slid the ring down onto her finger slowly, taking in the moment. Piper on the other hand slid the ring as fast as she could onto Alex's finger, wanting more than anything to kiss her right now.

"I now pronounce you Missus and Missus Vause." At these words Alex grabbed Piper's face gently bringing her close and kissing her with whatever passion she could muster without hearing a groan from Taylor. Pulling apart from each other, Alex smiled at Piper with love in her eyes and smile.

"I love you, Pipes." Alex felt emotions dripping in her voice that she was not used to.

"I love you, Al." Piper pulled Alex in for one more kiss before pulling apart and finishing the rest of the paperwork.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everybody! I am sorry that this story has taken a while for me to update, but I finally found time to sit down and really try to convey the emotion in this chapter. This is warning to those who don't like these kinds of chapters, this does have sex in it and takes up half the chapter, so be warned. I am going to try and update my other stories soon, I am actually free all day Friday so I am going to try and punch out a couple chapters of my other stories. Anyway, please enjoy this story as these two grow closer together. **

**Chapter 13:**

Laughter and loud voices fill the small diner all around. The smell of delicious food wafting throughout the building as beer bottles and cups containing soda collected on the different tables. Taylor sat on top of the counter that ran along the back side of the diner, telling stories animatedly with her hands flying everywhere. Piper stood back by one of the tables, keeping her eyes on the little girl that looked like a carbon copy of herself. Alex, on the other hand, never let her eyes leave her now wife.

The brunette was not used to the feeling of handing over her feelings to another person. She had been alone for years on end, even before she had lost her mother. Alex didn't know when she had exactly fallen for the blonde woman that now held her last name, but she knew she had fallen, losing all solid footing she thought she had. Blue eyes met her green ones from across the diner, locking in place as a pink color flooded the blonde's cheeks.

After finishing all the paperwork at the courthouse earlier that day, they all headed to Red's diner. Red had made so much food that she could have fed a small army of people, which is what she essentially did. Alex didn't know how well loved Piper and her little girl were by the people in this town. Everybody had shown up, drinking and congratulating them with minimal looks of judgement.

"You're staring." The blonde's words had shaken Alex out of her train of thought, not even realizing that Piper had moved and was now standing next to her.

"Can't I stare at my wife?" A smirk crossing her features as she said this, her eyes traveling all over Piper's face to gauge for a reaction.

The blonde just let a smile shine as she turned and looked back at her daughter telling the local grocery store manager about the shack she was building with Alex. Watching Piper, Alex noticed the smile start to fade the tiniest bit as she could see the wheels turning in her head once again. Wrapping her arm around Piper's waist, she pulls her in close to her side. Without looking up into those beautiful green eyes that she knew were looking at her, she spoke her thoughts. "Alex, I know this was sudden and I'm really sorry about all of it…" Piper looked up in time to stop Alex from interjecting in her speech before she wouldn't be able to get everything out she wanted to. "I guess… What I want to say is… I don't know if you really have fallen for me the way I have you, but I do know you love my little girl. And if that is why you have done this, thank you." A sweetly sad smile crossed her face as she pulled away.

The blonde was swept away by an older fellow wanting to give his congratulations, leaving Alex to stand back and watch her closely. Alex was not one to express her feelings like she knew the blonde could, but she also wasn't one to throw the L-word around without meaning it. "Hey, soldier." Green eyes turned to look at the short brunette standing next to her.

"What's up, Lorna?" Giving her a slight nod as she drank from the beer bottle in her hand, trying to shake her thoughts from moments ago.

"Me and Nicky are going to take Taylor back home." A wide smile crossed her face as she said this with a slight happy sway in her stance. "That way you and Piper can enjoy that love shack of yours for the night." Alex turned her head to look over at Nicky, who already had the little girl collected in her arms that was already fighting sleep as her eyes tried to droop closed.

"You guys really don't-"

"You can thank us later." Lorna walked away from the brunette before Alex could object, realizing that most people were starting to pack up and go their separate ways.

Picking up the different cups at various tables, a slow silence fell upon the building as the clean-up began. Red had tried to get them to leave, saying that it was her gift to them to not have to clean up after the party, but that didn't get either of them to leave. It wasn't long before the last of the dishes were stacked in the kitchen, waiting to be cleaned until Red had finally kicked Piper out, causing Alex to follow shortly behind her.

The truck ride to Alex's small house was not very long, the cool air blowing in from the slightly rolled down windows calming whatever nerves were fired up in the car. Looking over at the blonde, she could see that her eyes were closed, taking in the moment of peace. When her eyes opened, she could see raw emotion behind them, but an emotion that she is not something that she has seen there before.

When the two women had pulled up to the small house, Alex got out and walked to the other side to help Piper out. The brunette still amazed at how soft Piper's skin felt against hers, like nothing she had ever felt before. Piper didn't let go of the brunette's hand until they were inside the small house, finally letting their arms fall to their respective sides. Alex let her eyes search Piper's for a moment longer before walking the five feet into the small kitchen area.

Grabbing a plastic cup that she had bought on one of her first days in town, the brunette turned the faucet on only to hear a deep rumbling noise coming from under the floor. Turning the tap off and setting her cup down, a breathy laugh passed by her lips. "Just another thing to fix…" Shaking her head, she felt arms snake around her waist and land crossed at her hips from behind. Piper laid her head on the soft skin exposed from the dress between Alex's shoulder blades, inhaling the scent that she has fallen in love with.

"I think I know somebody who would love to help." A slight chuckle coming from the brunette, making Piper's insides warm. Silence filled the room as they stood like that against the counter, Piper holding on tight and Alex just feeling the warmth that sunk into her bones. It could have been minutes or hours that they stood like that, either option feeling like a small eternity to both of them.

"It wasn't just for Taylor…" She could feel the blonde's grip tighten around her body, pulling her in just that little bit closer. Turning around in Piper's arms so they were looking eye to eye, Alex rested her hands on the blonde's cheeks, tracing her thumbs over them lightly. Green eyes bore into blue ones, trying to convey all her feelings without having to say the words.

Leaning down, Alex felt Piper brush her lips lightly against her own before fully kissing her back with all the emotion she could muster. The brunette let her fingers tangle in blonde hair, pulling Piper deeper into the kiss, pulling her body flush against her own. Piper let her hands wander from the brunette's hips to the small of her back, feeling the muscles underneath her fingertips. Piper often forgot how strong Alex was from all her training, the muscles taut from all of her years conditioning in the military.

Piper found herself letting her hands wander to find the zipper of Alex's dress as she felt Alex pull away from her lips, leaving open mouth kisses down her jaw to her neck. Finding the zipper at the back of the dress, pulling it down and tracing her fingers over the skin she exposed on her way. Her fingers feeling the warm skin under their touch, the way goosebumps cover the light skin behind in their wake.

Alex let her hands leave the blonde hair they were currently holding, moving down to the small hips, pushing her against the counter lightly. Piper pulled lightly at the straps of Alex's dress, letting it fall to the ground. Pulling away from what the brunette was making her feel on her neck, looking at the gorgeous woman before her, her breath was taken away. Piper could never get over how beautiful Alex was, scars or wounds, it all made her the person she fell for. The blonde let her fingers trail over Alex's abdomen, feeling all the different marks there, eyes training on the freshest one.

The brunette stood there wearing her strapless bra and panties, looking at the blonde woman in front of her, need overwhelming her. Little shocks of electricity shooting through her nerves at the faint traces of Piper's fingertips against her skin. Letting her hands slip around Piper's waist and to the back of her thighs, she signaled the blonde to jump up. Piper pushed herself up onto the small four foot counter that she was pretty sure could collapse at any second. The brunette let her hands rest against warm thighs, looking into the darkest shade she had ever seen in those beautiful blue eyes.

Piper threaded her fingers into dark hair, pulling it back so she could lick and bite at Alex's neck, leaving her mark on her. The blonde wasn't overly possessive, or at least she had never believed herself to be, but the idea of Alex proudly showing her marks made her heart pound all that more. A groan passed Alex's lips as she let herself be in the moment, feeling how good the warm mouth on her neck was. Piper quickly took advantage of a distracted brunette, letting her hands swiftly undo Alex's bra, letting it fall to the floor by her dress.

Her hands traveled slowly from the soft expanse of skin that covered Alex's shoulder blades, nails leaving the tiniest of marks along the way. Swiping her thumb lightly against the brunette's nipples, drawing out a gasp that she hadn't ever heard from the taller woman. Ever since the first night they slept together, Piper wanted to make Alex fall apart. She wanted to know what it was like to make the woman she loved fall head first over that edge, what it was like to hear her name fall from those perfect lips.

Scooting forward on the counter, Piper went to wrap her legs around slender yet strong hips when a loud groan filled the room. Both women pulled apart, looking at one another before breaking out into a breathy laughter. "Maybe we should…"

"Good idea." Alex said as she picked the blonde up from the counter that she guessed wouldn't hold them up through their time together.

Carrying Piper to the mattress on the floor, Alex finally let herself see how this may not have been the best 'wedding night' she could give the blonde. She didn't get to think long as she kneeled down on the bed with the blonde still hanging on tight, placing kisses all along her shoulder and neck. Placing the blonde lightly on her back on the mattress, she could already feel the shorter woman trembling, heat pouring off of her in waves.

Piper on the other hand, wasn't thinking as deep about everything as Alex was, she was caught up in the feeling of strong muscles holding her tight to the strong body. When her back hit the soft fabric of the sheets, she let her hands begin to tug at every inch of skin of the taller woman she was allowed to reach. Using whatever strength she had over the brunette, she pushed her hips up and moved them so she was straddling Alex with her knees on either side of her hips.

The blonde crossed her arms in front of her, grabbing the hem of her dress and lifting it over her head. Alex lost her ability to breathe when she looked up at the woman above her. The light from the night sky was shining off her perfect skin, hair tousled over her shoulders and dark eyes meeting her own. Piper neglecting to wear a bra under her dress, felt hands on her chest as soon as she was finally settled again on top of Alex. Feeling those strong fingers working her chest, she almost lost track of what was happening and what her end goal was.

Grabbing the brunette's wrists, she pushed them away and to the sides of her body, taking control of the situation. Piper shifted so her lips barely grazed the skin of Alex's chest, sending fire throughout the taller woman's body. She drug her hands down Alex's abdomen, lightly teasing her way down to the hem of the black boyshorts, fingers dancing with the seam. Alex tried her hardest not to seem desperate with need, wanting Piper to feel like she could take her time being with a woman for the first time.

Involuntarily, Alex felt her hips push up as Piper traced a pattern over her center outside of her boyshorts. Piper lifted her head to see lust filled green eyes looking down at her, panting breaths leaving those perfect lips. Licking her way down Alex's stomach, eyes never leaving green ones, her fingers grabbed ahold of the sides of her boyshorts. Alex could feel the shakiness of the blonde's hands as she pulled off her underwear, the hesitancy written across her features.

Sitting up so she was face to face with the shorter woman, she lightly grabbed onto her wrist to get her attention. "Piper, you don't have to do anything you aren't ready for." Her words strained slightly as she tried to wrangle in her arousal.

"I want to," Blue eyes left Alex's face, looking around the room to make her not feel so vulnerable. "I just don't know what I'm doing…" The blush on her cheeks darkened as she said this, embarrassed of her confession to the beautiful woman in front of her.

Reaching her hands up to caress the blonde's face, she ran her thumbs over those overly warm cheeks, bringing her attention back to her. "Pipes, it's okay." A soft smile crossed her features as she reassured the smaller woman. "Just do what feels natural and if you want to stop you can, anytime." Piper starting nodding her head, closing her eyes to gather her confidence.

The blonde pushed on the taller woman's shoulders lightly so she fell back onto the mattress. Looking down at the woman below her, she traced her fingers so lightly over her smooth thighs, her eyes following her own movements. Alex closed her eyes, taking in the feeling of being touched by the other woman. Piper shifted so her left hand was next to Alex's head, putting all of her weight onto it so she was laying flush against the woman below her. Both women let out a gasp at the new feeling of their bodies being so close, their heart beats pounding the exact same.

The blonde let her eyes wander over Alex's soft features as her hand moved from its place on the light skinned thigh and to her center. At the first contact, Piper let a moan fall from her mouth at the feeling of the other woman. Alex not wanting to let her noises take her over, tangles her fingers in blonde hair, pulling her down into a kiss. Their mouths moved in sync as Piper let her fingers lightly trace through her folds, teasing the bundle of nerves she knew needed her attention.

Small whimpers fell from Alex's lips as electrical shocks ran up her spine every time Piper's fingers grazed her bundle of nerves. Piper pulled back from their kiss to get some air, her mind reeling in the feeling of the brunette. Alex felt her hips move without her consent, trying to get all the friction she could. Blue eyes traveled all over her face as Piper finally pushed into the brunette for the first time. Both women felt their mouth drop open and their eyes close at the new feeling for both of them.

Alex moved her hips, trying to give a hint to the blonde, ready for her to move. Catching the movement, Piper pulled out a little before pushing back in and curling her fingers forward just slightly. The blonde created a slow rhythm, both women reveling in the feeling of one another. It wasn't long before Alex could tell her was on the edge, toeing with the line but not ready to fall over the edge. "Piper…" Her voice coming out huskier than the blonde had ever heard, yet shaky with need.

"Hmm?" Pulling back to look at the woman below her, sweat starting to form on her forehead.

"I need…" Her breath hitching every time the blonde curled her fingers inside her again. "... together…" Alex felt her cheeks redden at the request, but she knew she needed to feel Piper.

Nodding her head, Piper shifted just slightly so Alex could snake her hand down to her center. Pushing her panties to the side, Alex knew it couldn't take Piper that long to get to the same place she was at. Entering the woman above her, she could feel Piper falter in her own movements. Alex was right when she thought it wouldn't take Piper too long, her senses overloading at the new sensations she knew the blonde was feeling. "Al-"

"I know…" The blonde rested her forehead against the brunette's, their breath mingling together as they got closer to falling over that edge. Alex feeling Piper start to stiffen, she uses her hand to pull the blonde's ear to her mouth. "I love you, Piper." Her husked words of affection sending the blonde over the edge, her name falling from those perfect lips. Feeling the blonde's orgasm crash down on her, she fell over that same edge, moans falling loudly from her lips.

They stayed like that, holding tightly onto one another as each rode out their feelings, chests heaving and breaths coming out raspy. It wasn't long before Piper slid off of the brunette, laying on her side with her head on Alex's shoulder. Blue eyes scanned soft features as the brunette looked up at the ceiling of the tiny house. "You're staring." The brunette said, repeating Piper's words from earlier that night.

"Can't I stare at my wife?" A smile crossed her features as green eyes turned to meet hers. Silence fell between the two women as eyes looked at each other, emotions running wild behind them. "Do you mean it?" The words falling from Piper's lips before she could control them.

"Yes." Alex pulled her arm tighter around the smaller woman. "I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but it did." Blue eyes met green again, Piper's fingers coming up to trace a soft cheek of the taller woman. "I fell for you, Piper." Soft lips met hers as she said these words, a smile forming at the corners of her lips.

"I like you too." Minor hurt covered the brunette's face at those words.

"I don't just say that to just anybody." Her green eyes searching blue ones in the dark. "You have to say it back." Piper smiled to herself at the minor vulnerability she saw on the taller woman's face.

"I love you too, Alex." She brushed a piece of hair back from Alex's face, the light from outside catching the ring on her finger. "You didn't have to buy me such a nice ring."

"Only the best for my wife." Green eyes looking at the ring on the other woman's hand, enjoying the idea of what it symbolizes. "That, and Taylor picked it out." A small smile tugged at her lips again as Piper grabbed her left hand, looking at the band there.

"I could've bought you…" Realization hitting the blonde right in the chest. "Taylor?"

Nodding her head, Alex looked at their intertwined fingers and the rings proudly showing there. Never once did Alex think this was how her life was going to turn out; married and soon adopting a child. Alex had never felt stability in her life like she did right in this moment, and even that wasn't for sure as the looming return to the military hung over her head. Turning to look at the blonde, she realized blue eyes had been staring at her, memorizing every aspect of her face. "Can I help you, Missus Vause?" A smile spread wide on the blonde's face at Alex's words.

"Just happy, Missus Vause." Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in and kissed the taller woman softly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Missus Vause."

"Oh that will start to get old real fast."


End file.
